Temporary chlorination for Riccarton water

The Team Reporter from The Press

Water in parts of Riccarton and Addington is being temporarily chlorinated.

It comes after regular testing revealed the presence of several total coliforms, an indicator of bacterial contamination.

The indicator bacteria are not harmful, but their presence showed there was a
pathway for other contaminants, such as E coli, to get into the supply.

Christchurch City Council head of three waters Helen Beaumont said the chlorination began on Thursday as a precautionary measure while investigations were done to determine the root cause of the contamination.

“Being able to quickly activate chlorination when there is an actual or potential contamination event is an important part of our water safety toolkit," she said in a statement.

“Ongoing testing will be carried out to help us understand the cause of contamination, and to ensure the chlorine is doing its job. A low level of chlorine will be remain in place while we carry out work to assess any ongoing risk to the water supply."

Beaumont said people in Riccarton and parts of Addington may smell or taste chlorine in their water.

The chlorine was harmless but if residents were concerned about the taste, they could keep drinking water in a jug in the fridge. The chlorine taste would dissipate naturally over a few hours.