Council Three Waters director Julie Muir presented a report on the events that led to Ranfurly’s drinking water supply being restricted and a boil water notice being enforced for eight days in February.
The Ranfurly water supply was sourced from two places at East Ewe Burn.
It could be supplemented from the Hawkdun Irrigation Company race during drought but that had not been used since 2014 and was not routinely inspected or maintained, Ms Muir said.
On January 26, council contractor Fulton Hogan sent a text to a council water team member advising water demand was exceeding supply.
The next morning, Fulton Hogan advised it had over-reacted, and it thought the extra demand was from the irrigating at the Maniototo A&P show grounds and requested the demand be reduced by half.
On January 3, there was an improvement but demand was still exceeding supply and the reservoir was unable to refill overnight.
The next morning the reservoir had dropped sharply to 66% and council staff were asked to turn off all irrigation in Ranfurly.
By February 3, the reservoir had dropped to 48%.
Fulton Hogan told the council it would check the system on February 7 to see if it could get more water to the treatment plant.
It advised Naseby Forest had been closed to vehicles due to fire risk and staff would have to ride a bicycle 9km to check the intake weir.
However, the intake was not checked as planned, and one staff member was off sick and two people were required for health and safety reasons.
Ms Muir told last week’s meeting when landowners were eventually contacted by council staff days later, on February 13, when the Three Waters director arrived back from leave, the landowners said the area was closed to the public but access was, and always had been, available for the council and Fulton Hogan.
Fulton Hogan’s response and council oversight of the situation was inadequate, Ms Muir said.
Council staff should have followed up and contacted landowners to arrange vehicle access to the weir intake from the outset.
Fulton Hogan’s failure to check the East Eweburn weir intake screen in the days after it was identified as being required led to the restrictions imposed on February 7 and the boil water notice issued the next day.
The event was not managed as a potential critical incident from the outset despite it being clear it was a supply and demand issue and reservoir levels were low.
Fulton Hogan claimed $90,355.02 for its response, comprising $58,944.50 for water tanker subcontractors, $9000 for leak detection services and its own charge of $21,510.52.
Following a conversation regarding the cause of the event, Fulton Hogan offered to cover their plant and labour costs and half the costs of subcontractors, totalling $55,933, leaving the council with a cost of $34,422.
Ms Muir said there were a number of failings by the council and Fulton Hogan, and steps had since been put in place to ensure they did not happen again.
There had been changes within both council and contractor delivery teams since April and that had resulted in a significant change in culture, she said.
"It is the response to these situations that makes a difference to the outcome experienced by the community.
"In this case our response could have avoided the situation that occurred."
The council water team took a passive role in the situation while Fulton Hogan advised them, she said.
Councillor Stu Duncan said at the time the community felt they were being brushed off, either by council staff or contractors.
Ms Muir said it was not brushed off and there was no communication with her from councillors.
Cr Duncan said he was sure it would not happen again.
Ms Muir said all the region’s water safety plans were being reviewed.
The council had told Fulton Hogan it needed to escalate it up the chain when there was a critical incident.
"You get a helicopter if necessary and that didn’t happen."
A business case for upgrading the Maniototo water supplies to meet drinking water standards and improve resilience to climatic events, and to enable the required investment to be included in next year’s long-term plan, was under way.
