Rural residents advised to test drinking water if concerned

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

Rural Waimakariri residents concerned about water in private wells should get it tested by a registered laboratory, the local council says.

The Waimakariri District Council issued the advice after Greenpeace raised alarm following drinking water testing in Oxford last weekend.

Greenpeace freshwater spokesperson Will Appelbe warned of a looming public health crisis in rural Canterbury due to nitrate levels in drinking water.

‘‘Nitrate contamination is a result of diffuse pollution from the intensive dairy industry.

‘‘Put simply, there are too many cows in Canterbury, and nitrate from the oversized dairy herd is making its way into people’s drinking water.’’

But a Waimakariri District Council spokesperson urged caution.

‘‘Our advice to residents would be that if people are concerned about the water in their private wells, we suggest they get this tested by a registered laboratory so they have all factual information, as some of the last testing done by Greenpeace turned out to be inaccurate.’’

The council’s own drinking water supplies are tested monthly for nitrates in accordance with the Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules, the spokesperson said.

‘‘The results across all council water supplies are all less than 50 percent of the maximum allowable value under the drinking water standards, this means they are all less than 5.65 mg/L.’’

Water services regulator Taumata Arowai has set the maximum allowable value for nitrate-nitrogen in drinking water at 11.3mg/L, in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.