Residents in parts of Motueka are being advised to boil their water after a sewage overflow.
Tasman District Council said the leak was discovered in Grey Street near Motueka High School and may have been happening for two days or more.
There were concerns the shallow groundwater aquifer in the area may have been contaminated and investigations were underway to determine the scale of the overflow.
As a precaution, residents and businesses southeast of Grey Street who took water from private bores were advised to boil all water until further notice.
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Properties that took water solely from the council reticulated supply were not affected.
The overflow had also entered the stormwater network, which feeds into Woodlands Drain and runs to the Motueka Estuary at Old Wharf Road.
People should avoid contact with water in the drain and the estuary, and not take shellfish from the tidal area until further notice, the council said.