Rural Water Supply – Cafes, Restaurants & Food Businesses

Providing potable water to your customers & staff

In New Zealand, most rural communities and local businesses depend on their own water supply for drinking water. Consequently, they are considered small water supplies under Water Services Act (2021). As a result, it implies compliance with various regulations and standards like the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand 2022 . The core of this compliance is the responsibility of cafes & restaurants to provide potable water to their customers and staff. But what does this mean?

If the business is on town water, local authorities regulate water quality and provide clean drinking water. However, if the café, restaurant and pub is a small water supplier, they must ensure that the water offered to their customers and staff is clean and safe to drink. This means that the rural food service is responsible for regulating the quality of the water. Additionally, they must also take all measures to ensure that the water is fit for human consumption.

Risk of providing non potable water in your rural food service

The on-site water source in rural communities is usually groundwater (borehole or well) or rainwater, but it could also be from streams, rivers or dams. There is generally high risk of contamination with this type of private water supply. Disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses or parasites can enter the water cycle. This way, it poses a threat, especially for children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Ultimately, an infection with E coli or Giardia is not only unpleasant but can also lead to long-term health implications.

Furthermore, heavy metals, e.g. manganese, iron or copper from old pipes, as well as residues from heavy farming such as nitrates or herbicides, can endanger the water supply. Professional water treatment is essential to protect people from water-borne diseases and make the water suitable for human consumption. Only an adequate water filtration system offers cafes & restaurants potable water and at the same time meet the legal obligations.

Safe water for better taste & happy customers

If your rural foodservice, eatery or food prep depends on its own water supply, you are responsible for the whole water system at your facility. Not only for a good coffee or delicious food, the water used and provided must be safe for human consumption. Rural cafes & restaurants also need potable water for their bathroom facilities/ toilets.

What are the responsibilities of self supplying cafés, restaurants and home-based food businesses?

Legal requirements for small drinking-water supplies

The new Water Services Act 2021 applies to all commercial businesses, such as cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, pubs, bakeries and taverns, that supply people with drinking water. It also applies to home-based food businesses, meal prep businesses and food premises in general that commercially prepare or process food using water from a private water supply. 

As a small drinking-water supplies, your rural food service is required to provide potable water. Read more about your legal requirements.

Hazards for your drinking water supply

As a catering, food prep business or bakery, it is the responsibility of the self-supplying business to protect the water source from any contamination. Bacteria or viruses in your rainwater tank, heavy metals in your plumbing system or animal faeces from your roof can enter your water system and put the entire facility at risk.

What can you do to keep your drinking water supply safe and therefore meet your legal compliance?

When is the water from your own water supply fit human consumption and, thus, meets the requirements of New Zealand’s Drinking Water Standards?

2. Crystal clear & pure

The physical appearance of the drinking water provided must be crystal clear. The aesthetic condition must not have any turbidity or contain suspended matter. It has to be pure and colourless, with no signs of contamination through, e.g. such as clay or silt. Additionally, It must be odourless and tasteless.

Changes in colour, smell, taste, or suddenly turbidity indicate contamination. Therefore, you should no longer offer this water. Aqua Works provides water filtration systems for clean, odourless and tasteless water for use in the catering industry. We supply excellent filtration systems to improve your water quality: coffee machines, water dispensers, ice machines, or food preparation.

It can be quite a challenge for your foodservice or meal prep business to protect your guests and staff from food and waterborne diseases effectively and sustainably. Bugs such as Campylobacter, but even more frequently E coli or Giardia, threaten the drinking water supply in various rural areas in the Rodney area, North Auckland and South Kaipara.

If you receive your drinking water from your own well or bore, you must treat the raw water yourself before using it in your facility. This also applies if your water supply is based on a rainwater catchment system and contamination with roof pollution is likely. A professional water filtration system will ensure safe potable water and compliance with the drinking water standards of New Zealand.

Ensuring potable water for cafes & restaurants to meet Drinking Water Standards of NZ

With few exceptions, groundwater, surface water, or rainwater is not suitable for human consumption without proper treatment. The raw water may contain undesirable suspended matter, microorganisms such as coliform bacteria, viruses or parasites and various pollutants. Often, the water also has too high a nitrate concentration before treatment. The leading cause of elevated nitrate levels in groundwater and surface waters is agriculture. In many cases, the raw water also has an increased level of iron and manganese. Consequently, it can lead to a brown colouration of the water, impaired taste and deposits in the pipes.

If you draw your drinking water from your own well or a rainwater collection system, you must treat the water yourself before using it. Before water treatment, you should carry out a precise water analysis. This way, we can guarantee that your water filtration system is specifically adapted to your local requirements. Secondly, you meet your legal compliance with the Drinking Water Standards of New Zealand.

Drinking Water acceptable solution

As defined in the Water Services Act (2021), drinking water is used for “oral hygiene or preparing food and drink, washing utensils that are used for eating and drinking, or for preparing, serving, or storing food or drink for human consumption.” Thus, cafes, pastry delivery services, restaurants, bakeries, other food services and home-based meal prep businesses need to install acceptable solutions to provide potable water. It is their responsibility to eliminate the risks of E. coli and Giardia, amongst other bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Our effective, innovative water treatment technologies against bacteria, viruses and other harmful contaminants help you to ensure potable water in all areas of your business.

Aqua Works offers acceptable solutions for cafes & restaurants to provide potable water

Several technologies guarantee safe potable water:

• Ultraviolet light / UV Filtration
• Ultrafiltration and
• Ozone
• Water softeners
• Multimedia filters

Ultimately, the most cost-effective guarantee of safe potable water is an ultraviolet system that includes sediment filters. Hence, a UV water filter kills 99.99% of all microorganisms, such as algae, protozoa, bacteria and viruses. As we only install quality UV systems, we source our filtration systems from Canada and Italy. All come with a 3-year warranty, the highest in New Zealand.

Firstly, we will visit your property and determine what is required for compliance with potable water delivery. Afterwards, we will recommend a system that guarantees safe water all year round. Our maintenance contract for the entire water treatment system also includes regular water testing. We will carry out the food & safety test together with the annual UV filter check. In this way, we ensure that you always pass the test. Lay back and enjoy consistent water quality in your food premises.

Aqua Works Guarantee* E. coli free drinking water

As a purpose-driven, local family business, we support you in your decision making by sharing our knowledge about your water resources. This way, we help you to be informed, so you can make great decisions empowering your families health and well being. The protection and provision of safe, potable drinking water in our lives is paramount to all of us. Aqua Work’s water filtration systems, UV filter purification, water treatment, ozone systems, and water pumps give you peace of mind to have a quality trusted, safe system. 

Going the extra mile at Aqua Works is what we do to ensure your water is healthy and fit for its purpose. Hence, all our water treatment products are field tried-and-tested, including innovative products and solutions. Do you need help with UV filters, water filtration systems and water pumps or our high-quality UV filter service, water pump repairs or water pump service? Give us a call today at 0800 AQUA WORKS. As we often say, “If you don’t have a filter – You are the filter”.

And if something happens spontaneously, call our 24/7 water pump emergency service at 0212 787 427. We will take care of your problem immediately and make sure that the water in your home is running again as quickly as possible.