An annual report prepared for a Southland District Council meeting this week showed some drinking water plants had missed the mark due to data gaps, unvalidated filters and even snow.
In the realm of protozoal compliance, four plants did not hit their targets — Mossburn, Otautau, Winton and Tuatapere.
Three of those plants missed their target due to UV treatment upgrades resulting in lost data, while Tuatapere failed on a filter issue.
Council asset manager Bill Witham said the filter was fully compliant when it was installed, but the manufacturer was no longer around meaning it could not be re-certified.
"So until we replace that, we’re technically non-compliant."
The report said the protozoal key performance indicator was a challenge to meet because missing the mark for even a short period resulted in a whole year of work being deemed non-compliant.
It also noted Ohai, Tahakopa, Te Anau and Tuatapere were not compliant in microbiological monitoring due to snow-covered roads restricting access to the site.
Mr Witham said the technician took manual samples while travelling in a ute but had been disrupted by bad weather.
Well-known issues persist at the Eastern Bush/Otahu Flat plant due to the turbidity of its water, although a new plant is planned for 2026-27.
Southland mayor Rob Scott was positive despite some of the results, referencing challenges such as distance, weather and snow.
He was pleased with the level of detail in the report.
"There’s a few red flags in there, but they’re not real red flags. And there’s a lot of green in there too, which is comforting as well," Mr Scott said.
— Matthew Rosenberg, Local democracy reporter
— LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
