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.
🧩 Crack the Code: Today’s Riddle Challenge! 🤔
I’m a three-digit number; my tens digit is five more than my ones, and my hundreds digit is eight less than my tens—what am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Show us your creative backyard build
We hope you've been enjoying the Neighbourly Backyard Awards so far, we know we have!
It is time for our last award. And the category is....Most creative backyard build
It could be a planter box, an outdoor table or even a backyard bar. We just want to see the sanctuary you've created in your backyard.
So share a photo, or two, in a comment below of your creation or backyard set up a to be in to win a $100 Mitre10 voucher. Winner will be announced next Monday 🛝🪴🛖
Poll: Do you have a pet at home?
Neighbourly members LOVE their pets, whether it's a smoochy cat, a trusty pup or even a feathered friend.
We'd like to know how many of you who see this post actually have a pet at home. Let us know in the poll below!
-
73.7% Yes - I have a pet / multiple pets
-
7.7% Not currently, but one day!
-
18.6% Nope, I live in a pet-free home
Loading…
