Government drinking water regulator Taumata Arowai has rejected Waimakariri District Council’s drinking water chlorine exemption application.

All public water supplies in the district are now required, by law, to be treated with chlorine.

This means, the council will be forced to continue chlorinating Cust, Woodend-Pegasus and Kaiapoi supplies and start chlorinating Rangiora, Waikuku Beach and Oxford Urban supplies.

The Council has pushed for water in Waimakariri to remain unchlorinated.

A spokesperson said “we made submissions on the new drinking water standards at Parliamentary Select Committee and pushed Taumata Arowai to allow our supplies to remain chlorine-free while exemptions were being considered.

“When the draft decline for the Cust supply was received we challenged the decision and met with Taumata Arowai’s new Chief Executive to again push Waimakariri’s preference for unchlorinated water.

Taumata Arowai have now released their final decision for Cust and informed the Council we must now chlorinate all water supplies.”

Waimakariri is the only remaining Canterbury council operating unchlorinated water supplies.