A mistake at the water treatment plant is to blame for brown, foul-smelling water pouring from taps in a Rangitīkei town, but officials say it shouldn’t be making people sick.
Marton resident Michael Gough said the discoloration and smell had been an off and on problem for decades.
Advertise with Stuff "I thought something in our house was causing it.
I didn’t think it might be the water, until I saw other complaints of rashes and blistering after showers on social media."
​Aleesha Rubie​ said even after living in Marton for two years she still couldn’t believe how frequent the water problems were.
But that could also be a reaction to the more fragrant washing powders she’s been using to overpower the water’s "swamp smell" on their clothes, she said.
McNeil said Marton had struggled with brown water since it was founded.
The area’s water has high levels of manganese minerals, which causes a brown slime in pipes and waterways.
When the slime comes loose in the water system, the town’s water turns brown.
The new treatment regime has largely kept the water clear, but a recent misjudgment of the chlorine levels allowed the manganese into the mains, McNeil said.