Latest News No Impact on Water Quality After Mains Pipe Leaks Masterton District Council is reassuring residents its urban water supply is safe to drink after one of the three mains supplying the town sprung “a pretty big” leak on Saturday morning.  “Water quality was never compromised because the water mains was always under pressure, which meant there was no negative pressure to allow anything into the water supply,” Council’s Assets and Operations Manager David Hopman said.  “A combination of our urban water supply fault-identifying alarm system and a call from a concerned member of the public helped Master Roads staff find and fix what could have been a leak with a major impact on town supply,” he said.  One of the three mains pipes from the Upper Plain reservoir began leaking on Saturday morning.  The alarm sounded at 7.30am and some residents in the Upper Plain area noticed a drop in water pressure around midday, which was when the water mains were shut down by contractors. Only residents in Nash Place lost access to their water.  The rest of the town was unaffected when the mains were closed in order to carry out repairs that afternoon. Water was fully restored to Nash Place before dark.  “Other streets in the vicinity of Nash Place may have recorded a loss of pressure but water was only actually shut down to houses in Nash Place. A water tanker was brought in to Nash Place to service residents’ water needs while repairs were carried out,” Mr Hopman said.  Civil Defence organised the tanker but no other assistance was needed. Mr Hopman said, in the early stages, Public Health was also informed as a precaution because the Council was initially unsure how many households could be affected.  “Thankfully, we found the source in the half-metre-diameter pipe quickly and it was only a matter of a couple of hours before contractors were able to stem the leak using a purpose-built reinforced steel band.  “As part of the process of investigating the cause, the rest of the pipe’s condition will be checked using a closed circuit television camera. A permanent repair to the leak site will soon be underway,” Mr Hopman said.  Meanwhile, he reiterated that the water had been tested by the Council’s health department on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and “is safe to drink straight from the tap”.  “It’s not necessary to boil water in Nash Place or anywhere else,” Mr Hopman added. 05 October 2009