Recent Water Mains Breaks Caused by Faults

On Monday this week, a mains break occurred in Ōhope and another in Tāneatua last week, leaving many residents without water.

Whaktāne District Council water and wastewater treatment team leader Neal Yeates said mains breaks can be caused by a number of different reasons, often the age of the pipe, ground movement, pressure changes in the networks, or general wear and tear.

“In both Tāneatua and Ōhope, the shutdowns were caused by faults in the water mains rather than anything people were doing,” he said.

“These kinds of breaks are unplanned, and when they happen, the priority is to isolate the issue and restore supply as quickly and safely as possible.”

Yeates notes the network across the Whakatāne District is operating “as it should.”

However, he acknowledges that part of the network is ageing.

“Like any infrastructure, pipes do not last forever. When older sections fail, it can lead to unplanned outages like the ones people have recently experienced.”

He said the council has water main renewal projects underway across the district.

“That means identifying older pipes, replacing them before they fail, and upgrading parts of the network to improve resilience and reliability,” explained Yeates.

“While renewals won’t eliminate every unplanned break, they significantly reduce the risk of unplanned shutdowns over time.”

He said situations like the recent shutdowns serve as a reminder of the importance of emergency preparedness, such as having bottled water on hand at home in case of an emergency or issue affecting the water supply.

Yeates thanks Tāneatua and Ōhope residents for their patience while the team completed the mahi to restore water quickly and safely.