DOC 1080 drop in Ohura.

Council has been working with the Department of Conservation (DOC) to ease some Ohura residents' concerns about the security of their water supply while DOC undertakes a 1080 drop as part of their September pest control programme in the area.

To help clarify some of the key these issues please note the following:

• The 1080 drop is a DOC operation, not Council.
• Council has provided DOC with the GPS co-ordinates of the Council owned and operated water supply.
• DOC will be using the GPS co-ordinates to implement a setback distance at which the 1080 drop will occur to avoid any potential cross-contamination of the water supply.
• The setback distance is governed by National Ministry of Health (MOH) guidelines.
• The MOH setback guidelines state that there must be a 300m drop exclusion zone around any water source. In the case of the September Ohura drop the drop zone is over 3km from the Ohura water intake.
• The costs of the newsletter drop and provision of tanker water are being covered by DOC, not Ruapehu ratepayers.
• An alternative water supply via a water tanker will be made available for any residents concerned about the security of their water supply during the 1080 drop. Details of where the tanker will be located will be advised closer to the time.
• An independent water tester has been contracted to confirm that no cross-contamination has occurred of the Ohura water supply.
• The tanker will be available until Council has received the independent test results confirming that no cross-contamination has occurred. This is estimated to take between 24 to 48 hours.

If you require more information on the planned 1080 drop, please call Jared Coombes at DOC on (06)759 0350.

If you have any queries concerning the Council owned and operated water supply please call us on 07 895 8188.

Thank you

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