'Unsettling' dead rat discovery leads to boil water notice in Horowhenua

A boil water notice is in place for a rural Horowhenua town after council staff discovered two dead rats in a water reservoir.

The dead rats were found in the Mangaore Village water supply, roughly four kilometres from Shannon, during a routine inspection at the Mangaore Reservoir on Wednesday.

The village now faced an "understandably unsettling" boil water notice which applied to approximately 40 households, Horowhenua District Council chief executive Monique Davidson said.

Davidson explained they did not know how the rodents got into the reservoir but "as soon as the issue was identified, we acted quickly to take the reservoir offline and switch to the alternative existing supply".

There was currently "minimal risk" as the team had begun flushing the main water network to drain any infected water, Davidson said.

The boil water notice would remain in place for Mangaore residents as a precaution and Davidson said those on site were well informed and working closely with the Water Services Authority.

Until the notice was lifted, residents were told to boil all water used for drinking, preparing and washing food, brushing teeth, making ice and preparing infant formula.

The district council recommended that residents bring water to a rolling boil for one minute, allowing it to cool before use or alternatively use bottled water in cases where boiling wasn't possible.

Updates regarding the status of the water supply would be provided via the council's website and social media, with impacted properties set to receive a letter in their mailbox.

Last year, a similar boil water notice was issued by Tararua District Council for Woodville residents after a dead possum popped up in one of the reservoirs.