Legacy issues hamper council's sand clean-up

Published on 09 November 2026

Whanganui District Council’s work to remove sand from Castlecliff’s drinking water network is being hampered by legacy issues, chief executive Doug Tate says.

Residents and businesses in Castlecliff and the surrounding area have been intermittently affected by sand in their water supply since early September.

A NO-DES specialist filtration unit commissioned to extract sand from the network is revealing faulty valves and hydrants after it had connected in these affected areas, causing the unit to move on to other sections while the faults were repaired.

Doug Tate says the council remains strongly focused on the sand issue and is moving swiftly as faults are identified.

“I am aware that unforeseen faults have hampered the clean-up work being carried out. These faults cannot be spotted easily unless the network is put under pressure which is what the filtration unit is doing,” he says.

When a fault prevented cleaning from proceeding, the NO-DES team would move to another part of the network, then return to carry out the process.

The community will see the filtration unit for a while longer as the council extends its engagement to filter new areas and return to previously filtered areas for another sweep.

“The legacy issues are adding to our ability to resolve the sand issue quickly but it is not the cause of it. We are still working on the hypothesis that higher flows disturbed sediment in the network when the Castlecliff water main was upgraded,” Doug Tate says.

Mayor Andrew Tripe says the priority is to keep the work moving and follow up with those experiencing problems to see what support is needed.

“I’m sorry this issue has not been resolved yet and some residents are still finding sand in their water supply. I know the teams are working hard to find a solution and are also frustrated when other factors make what sounds like an easy remedy become complex.

“As elected members, we want to see where the work is making a difference, where problems are continuing and what further action is needed. We believe our community deserves to hear about all three,” Mayor Andrew says.