Horomanga River discharge

3 December 2025

Between approximately 9am and 11am on Friday, 28 November, Bay of Plenty Regional Council was notified by a local farmer that an effluent storage bladder had failed on their property, resulting in a large amount of farm dairy effluent discharging into a tributary of the Horomanga River. Those involved took all reasonable steps to prevent any further discharge and notified Regional Council  immediately.

Our science team has assessed the situation and advised there is a high risk of contamination for anyone taking drinking water from the affected reach; approximately 3km upstream of where the Horomanga River enters the Rangitāiki River, and downstream from that point. 

This contamination is expected to take around 32 hours from the time of discharge to dissipate. Based on this, the risk period is expected to have resolved by 7pm on Saturday, 29 November.  
 
There are no registered drinking water suppliers drawing from within the affected catchment of the spill, however, there may be unknown domestic self-suppliers in the area. 
 
If you take drinking water from this location, we recommend discarding any water collected between 9am Friday, 28 November and 7pm Saturday, 29 November.

If you have further questions, please contact the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Pollution Hotline on 0800 884 883. If you have consumed water collected during the affected period, please get advice from your doctor or contact Healthline (0800 611 116) if you get diarrhoea, vomiting and/or a fever.