Brown water continues to flow from household taps across Kawerau, months after the problem began escalating in the Bay of Plenty town.
The district council says the discolouration is occurring due to a build up of manganese and iron reacting to chlorine in the water supply, and has been working hard to find all the possible sources.
But the wait has left many residents, including Rebecca Tonks, feeling helpless.
"The water is brown, it's revolting, it's horrible," she said.
"I wouldn't feed animals the water we're having to drink."
It can take up to 10 minutes before the water runs clear.
Tonks has installed a filter to help clean it up, but after two weeks it's now soaked in a brown, slimy substance.
She and many other residents are growing increasingly concerned for the health of their whānau.
"It's not healthy for our babies at all. We're expected to drink it, to wash our washing in it, and wash our babies in it!"
Resident Shariana Marsh believed it was making people sick.
"Kei te māuiui ngā pēpi, nā te mea kei te inu te wai [our babies are getting sick because they're drinking the water]."
Valerie Reed, who worked with vulnerable kaumātua, said she was very concerned for the town's elderly.
"A lot of people are wondering why they are getting sick. A lot of people have got rashes, people are getting things like diarrhoea," she said.
The Kawerau District Council has assured the public the water meets New Zealand's drinking water standards.
A spokesperson wasn't available for an interview with 1News, but said in an email the council was taking action.
That included cleaning all reticulation and valves on an ongoing basis, replacing the oldest reticulation, testing different water treatment sources, cleaning the district's three water reservoirs and evaluating water treatment options.
It also believes its found the major source of problem, but won't know for sure until the site is flushed out.
Reports of discoloured water in the town first surfaced in 2018.
A year later, the reports declined and remained stable, but spiked again in December last year.
The reports have peaked in the last few months of this year.
With no clear solution in sight yet, it may be an expensive few months for some locals, who've been purchasing bottled water instead.
"He nui te tāra mō te wai [purchasing water is expensive]," said Marsh.
"One tekau tāra mō tōku whānau ia wiki [it costs $60 a week for my family]."
The council is says they to receive feedback from the community about where the dirty water is occurring.
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