Hopes Methven’s boil water notices are at an end
Methven residents are hoping their latest boil water notice will be their last.
The community’s frustration with boil water notices is almost at an end, with the town’s new membrane treatment plant set to go online in September.
That comes as some comfort to businesses who have become used to dealing with boil water notices, with the latest occurring on July 23 - in the middle of a busy ski season. It was lifted on Monday afternoon.
Brinkley Village general manager Paul Creswick said the town would be happy when it’s over.
“It’s an extreme inconvenience. We just got used to it and it was something we have had to do which was disappointing.
“Hopefully it will all be in the rear vision mirror shortly and it will be great not to have to deal with it."
Dubliner co-owner Gary Manning said it wasn’t ideal.
“Some guests from outside the region were a bit shocked watching us wheelbarrow water in.
“A lot of people are quite vexed believing the money has been spent, so didn’t expect another one [boil water notice] but [the plant’s] not finished yet, it will be soon so hopefully that was the last time.”
Commissioning work on the new plant starts next week, council infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said.
The commissioning process involves training staff who will work at the plant, testing all the electrical components (known as dry testing) and testing all the water pipes and connections (wet testing), McCann said.
“Depending on the result of the dry and wet testing, the plant will undergo full operation testing at the end of August, and then start trial operations.”
Heavy rain impacts the water supply’s shallow gallery intake from the North Ashburton River, which causes the water to become too cloudy (turbid) to be treated.
The boil water notices were issued because the council couldn’t be certain the turbid water was being effectively treated, McCann said.
“The new membrane plant will be able to filter the turbid water that so often occurs after a big rain event and will remove 99.9% of micro-sized contaminants.
“The water will then be disinfected with UV light and chlorine, and fluoride added before being stored in the reservoirs and distributed via the town’s drinking water supply pipe network.
“We are as happy as the people on those schemes that the end of boil water notices is in sight.”
While Methven’s $10m water treatment plant upgrade is almost complete, the Ashburton District Council has started a $4.6m membrane treatment plant for the Mt Somers water supply, which is expected to take eight months to complete.
* Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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48.5% Yes
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49.6% No
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2% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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