Council apologises for 'avoidable angst' caused by its handling of water scare

Nicole Reporter from Dunedin News

A review into the Dunedin City Council’s handling of a lead water issue in three Otago townships has been made public.

The “do not drink” notice for Waikouaiti, Karitane and Hawksbury Village was lifted in July after residents were caught up in a lead scare six months prior.

Residents were unable to use their tap water after elevated levels of lead were found in the water supply, operated by the council.

It was later revealed that there was no widespread lead contamination in the council’s drinking water network, but the elevated levels were likely caused by leaching from privately-owned pipes and fittings.

A report by independent reviewer Ross Tanner, which was released on Wednesday night, will be discussed at the Dunedin City Council next week.

The review identified problems with the council’s initial escalation and notification procedures, including a staff member going on leave before the elevated lead level reading was emailed to their inbox. It meant the council did not know about the reading for some time.

The report noted senior council management, including the chief executive, were blindsided as a major health response unfolded.

Their handling of the situation was compounded by an RNZ interview in which a senior manager incorrectly stated the elevated lead readings were four times the acceptable level, but this was later corrected to 40 times.

“Concern was expressed by the mayor, chief executive, and councillors to whom I spoke that as a consequence of this interview and the mistaken reference, the council had effectively ‘lost control of the (communications) narrative’ and never regained it,” Tanner wrote.

Dunedin mayor Aaron Hawkins said the council had acknowledged, and worked to rectify, areas of concern identified in the review.

Three of the five recommendations had already been implemented, and work on the other two was continuing.

“We accept the presence of elevated lead levels should have been escalated sooner, which would have allowed us to have this very serious conversation with our community sooner, as they deserved.

“This delay caused avoidable angst for our communities and I apologise on behalf of council that this happened.”

The welfare response from council staff, community board representatives and public health authorities was praised in the review.

That included providing temporary safe water tanks and free vegetables to residents in affected communities.