Rural residents advised to test drinking water if concerned
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.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.7% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.4% A week before Christmas
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33.2% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.
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