Q: Where is my toby/meter?

A:  The toby is generally found in the road reserve on the boundary of the property nearest the road in the box with the meter. It should be 0.3m (1 foot) outside the boundary and near one of the side boundaries with your neighbours. If it isn't obvious use a spade or screwdriver to feel the ground for the lid of the toby/meter box. If you are still unable to find it you can call or email us to check the location.

Q: Why is my tap water all white and cloudy?

A:  This is caused by very fine air bubbles in the water. It is unusual, but air can get trapped in the pipes when work is being done on the system, from pumps.

If you fill a clean glass with water and leave it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes the bubbles will clear. The water is perfectly safe to drink.

Q: Why does my drinking water taste or smell funny?  Will this make me sick?

A: The most common reason for water taste or odour inquires in Tauranga is from the chlorine that is added to the water to kill germs.  Chlorine is added to make the water safe.  The levels of chlorine in the system are continually measured to ensure that it remains with in the Ministry of Health Guidelines for Drinking Water.

The other common complaint is due to water from dishwashers having non-potable hoses connecting them to the supply. Water from the pipe permeates up into the hose going to the kitchen tap, making it taste bad. This can be fixed by replacing the hose.

Please ring Council on 07 577 7000 if you notice any sudden change in taste or odour in your drinking water and we will investigate the cause.

Q: What should I do when I have no water?

A:  The first thing to do is to check if it is just the hot or cold water that has stopped.  If the hot has stopped it is likely to be a blockage with the hot water cylinder, you may need a plumber to fix the problem.  If the cold has stopped in all the taps you need to first check the sub-toby (for a cross lease section) and then the street toby.  If these are both on then check with the neighbours.  If they don't have any water either please let the Council know so they can fix the problem.

Q: Where does my water come from?

A:  There are two sources of water that supply the Tauranga City.  If you live in the Mount, Papamoa, Welcome Bay or the higher areas of Pyes Pa then your water will generally come from the Tautau stream and is treated at the Joyce Water Treatment Plant. If you live in Tauranga Central - the Peninsular/ Gate Pa/ Greerton, or Tauranga West - Otumoetai/ Bethlehem/ Matua then your water will generally come from the Waiohori Stream and is treated at the Oropi Water Treatment Plant. Both treatment plants have an A grading from the Ministry of Health.

These two systems were developed separately by the Mount Maunganui Borough and Tauranga City Councils. They have now been linked together to make supplies more reliable.  If there is a problem in one supply system then water can be switched from the other.  This happened when there were slips in the Waiorohi catchment which meant no water could be taken from the Waiorohi Stream.  The whole city was supplied from the Joyce Water Treatment Plant for several days.

Q: Do we have Fluoridation?

A: Tauranga's water supply stopped being fluoridated after a referendum in 1992 with just over half of residents wanting fluoridation to stop. Western Bay water supplies have never been fluoridated.