Rating breakthrough for Hamilton drinking water

One year ahead of schedule, Hamilton City Council has received an 'Aa' grading for its drinking-water supply at Templeview.

The new Aa grading at Templeview represents a significant improvement in supply as a result of a recent $1m pipe upgrade. Previously the Templeview water supply had been rated as 'Ab'.

The 'Aa' grading also matches the consistently high quality of water supplied to residents from the Hamilton city supply, which has been rated 'Aa' for many years.

Drinking water supplies which receive an 'Aa' grading are described by the Ministry of Health as 'completely satisfactory with an extremely low level of risk'.

City waters unit manager Tim Harty says the result has exceeded expectations and reflects Council's commitment to ensure that all of the city's residents have access to a high quality and low risk water supply.

"The result has exceeded expectations in achieving an 'Aa' grade for both Hamilton City and Temple View. This is due to continued commitment to the use of best practice risk management planning and using the grading information to determine what upgrades and improvements may be required to safeguard supplies.

"Public Health Risk Management has always been a significant part of Council's planning process. Consistently high ratings for the Hamilton city supply show that these measures are delivering real results. The improvements undertaken in the Templeview area has also brought that supply up to the same high level, one year ahead of schedule.

"We're pleased that these measures can give Hamilton residents a great deal of confidence in the water that they are drinking", he says.

The gradings, which were awarded by Waikato District Health Board's drinking-water assessor, take a number of potential risks into account such as bacteria, heavy metals and the successful management of outside forces which have the potential to contaminate the water supply. The gradings are a measure of confidence that the water supply will not become contaminated.