A Whanganui man says he can see sand settling in the bottom of his glass as sediment surges back into the water of some homes despite weeks of flushing and assurances the problem was easing.
Complaints spiked sharply on Wednesday morning, Whanganui District Council said, with about 20 households around Cornfoot, Polson and Manuka streets still getting sand and sediment through their taps.
Castlecliff resident Derek McInnes told 1News he came home on Tuesday night to find sand pouring through his bath again "with a vengeance".
"It's got sand in it. Fill a glass and [there's] sand residue at the bottom."
The problem was first reported earlier this month, with around 35 Castlecliff homes affected and the council setting up water tankers for impacted residents.
Council chief executive Doug Tate said crews were continuing to flush the network and focus on areas where sand was proving "harder to clear".
"In some smaller rider mains, lower water volumes make it more difficult to move sediment through the system, so where possible we are adding scouring points to assist with the flushing process and improve removal of the remaining sand."
The council has stood up its incident management team again to coordinate the response.
Tate said the trouble began about three weeks ago when an older section of water main was brought back into service as part of the new Castlecliff water main project.
"Although the pipe was flushed and disinfected before it was commissioned, the higher water flows appear to have again disturbed sediment that remained in the line. The water remains safe to drink."
McInnes said he disagreed the water was safe to drink and that he'd escalated a formal complaint.
Running his outside tap, as the council advised, had made little or no difference, he said.
"I'm really frustrated."
Tate acknowledged the situation had been "incredibly frustrating" for affected households.
The council is delivering water to homes that need it and sending plumbers to check damaged appliances and hot water systems.
It has advised residents who spot sand in their inside taps to turn them off and run an outside tap, preferably at the front of the property, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Residents with sand, discoloured water or low pressure can call the council on 06 349 0001.
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