Fast-growing towns outside the city: Rolleston and Lincoln in Selwyn, and Rangiora, Kaiapoi and the planned town of Pegasus in Waimakariri, with a high share of homes built in the last two decades. For many years Christchurch supplied drinking water straight from deep aquifers with no treatment at all. That changed in 2018, when the council began chlorinating much of the city, and chlorine has since been added to every supply zone. The water is safe to drink, but for many households it no longer tastes the way it used to.
Water filtration in Selwyn and Waimakariri: newly chlorinated supplies and rural tanks
Selwyn and Waimakariri both went through big changes to their drinking water. Selwyn District Council began chlorinating the Rolleston supply in October 2022 and has since chlorinated all its supplies to meet national rules. In Waimakariri, the Kaiapoi supply has been chlorinated since February 2023 and Rangiora since November 2023, after the regulator declined the council's first exemption application. Woodend, Tuahiwi and Pegasus water is chlorinated and UV treated.
For households used to untreated water, the change in taste was noticeable, and some Waimakariri residents told a council committee in 2024 that they had bought filters. An activated carbon filter removes most of the chlorine taste and smell, either under the sink for drinking water or at the point of entry for the whole house.
Rural properties around these towns may be on restricted supplies that trickle into a tank, or on private tanks and bores. Once water sits in a private tank, keeping it safe is the household's responsibility, so those homes often need sediment filtration and UV treatment rather than just a carbon filter. We test what you have and recommend the right setup.
New homes in Rolleston, Lincoln and Pegasus are a good chance to plan a whole house filter during the build, leaving room beside the incoming supply pipe. In Selwyn, where households pay for every cubic metre, a properly sized filter does not waste water. We record cartridge types and dates and send reminders, because a cartridge left too long restricts flow and can harbour bacteria.
Lincoln's older homes near the grid town centre are often good candidates for an under sink unit, because adding a whole house system to an older supply pipe can mean more work. We look at your layout and explain both options with fixed prices.
Local tip: If you are on a rural tank near Rangiora or Lincoln, use a UV treatment unit with your filter, because a carbon filter alone does not make tank water safe.
For anything else, see our plumbers in Selwyn and Waimakariri.
Pricing: quotes are free, and every job gets a fixed price before we start, so there are no surprises on the invoice.
Water Filtration Jobs We Do in Selwyn and Waimakariri
- Whole house water filters
- Cartridge replacements
Water Filtration Selwyn and Waimakariri FAQs
We noticed a chlorine taste in Kaiapoi tap water. Will a filter fix it?
Yes. An activated carbon filter removes most of the chlorine taste and smell, at the kitchen tap or for the whole house.
Is Christchurch tap water safe to drink?
Yes. It comes from deep aquifers and is now chlorinated in every zone. A filter on town supply is mainly about taste and smell.
Do I need a water softener in Christchurch?
Usually not. The council's typical analysis shows a hardness of about 45 g/m3, which rarely calls for a softener.