<\/p>\n
\nWatercare’s Onehunga Water Treatment Plant.
\nPhoto: Watercare\/Supplied\n<\/p>\n
Auckland water supplier Watercare has pushed back the re-opening of a water treatment plant contaminated by so-called “forever chemicals” by another two years.<\/p>\n
The Onehunga plant was shut three years ago, after detections of low levels of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances – or PFAS – that accumulate in the body, and are linked to cancer and immune problems.<\/p>\n
Watercare had expected to re-open the facility in 2027, under a $40 million upgrade to remove the contaminants.<\/p>\n
On Friday, it said the project to install granular-activated carbon filtration would begin construction in 2027 and take until 2029.<\/p>\n
“We are currently in the detailed design phase,” said head of water Sharon Danks. “This will ensure the treatment plant can consistently meet New Zealand drinking water standards.<\/p>\n
“As part of the upgrade, a new ultraviolet disinfection system will be added to provide an additional barrier against microbiological contaminants.”<\/p>\n
Nationwide, the rules do not require regular monitoring for PFAS and Watercare does not do routine testing.<\/p>\n
“We continue to look at global trends and learnings from PFAS monitoring and testing,” Danks told RNZ.<\/p>\n
The chemicals, which were invented in the 1930s and used in the US atomic-bomb-making Manhattan Project, have a virtually indestructible carbon-fluorine bond and now number more than 12,000 different types. They are the subject of lawsuits and clean-ups in the United States and Europe.<\/p>\n