| 14 Mar 2007 |
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Christchurch District Health Board Reviews Use of Filtered Water |
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14/3/07, New Zealand Press Association.
Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, Dr Mel Brieseman is warning businesses and the public that water filters in equipment such as office-style water coolers need to be changed regularly to prevent the build up of a variety of bacteria including legionella.
Water filters in most drinking water coolers are designed to remove taste and odour and do not offer any protection against micro-organisms. If water filters are not changed regularly, bacteria can build to high levels in them...
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| 13 Mar 2007 |
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Legionella found in Christchurch hospital |
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13/03/2007, Bulletin
High levels of a potentially deadly bacterium has been found in a water cooler at Christchurch Hospital.
Fourteen office-style water coolers were tested at the hospital and one came back with a significant level of legionella in its filter. The cooler has been removed from the hospital. He believes this is the first case of significant levels of legionella being detected in a drinking water cooler anywhere in the world...
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| 13 Mar 2007 |
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DISEASE SCARE HITS HOSPITAL |
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10/03/2007, The Press Christchurch
The Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) has admitted finding legionella bacteria in a Christchurch Hospital water cooler six months after a child cancer patient fell ill with legionnaires' disease...
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| 13 Mar 2007 |
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Animal Waste Gets In Water |
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11/03/2007, Sunday Star-Times
UNTREATED ANIMAL effluent from a meat works leaked into Te Kuiti's water supply yesterday, prompting health authorities to warn residents to boil drinking water and stay clear of infected waterways.
Environment Waikato's resource use group manager Chris McLay said a structural failure at Te Kuiti Meat Processor plant before 7am caused sewage from an effluent pond to overflow into a containment area...
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| 01 Mar 2007 |
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Council trucks clean water to Renwick |
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01/03/07, The Marlborough Express
Supplies of clean water have had to be brought in to Renwick's school and kindergarten because of the town's murky water.
The Marlborough District Council supplied both with a 20 litre container of clean water for each classroom, as well as paper cups for thirsty students, after an isolated heavy rain storm last week made the town's water unsafe to drink.
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| 07 Feb 2007 |
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Water Management |
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07/02/2007 New Zealand Energy and Enviroment Business Week
The report said nine hospitals and health services were not connected to municipal drinking water supplies and of these three failed to comply with standards. The drinking water supply to the Waiheke Health Trust was contaminated with faeces and in need of urgent improvement.
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| 31 Jan 2007 |
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Health Ministry report reveals more than 100,000 New Zealanders are drinking water that fails to meet standards |
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13/1/7, Newstalk
100,000 kiwis are drinking dodgy water.
A Health Ministry report out today shows 24 percent of our drinking water fails to meet bacteriological standards.
It says more than a hundred thousand people are drinking water with unacceptable E-coli levels...
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| 17 Jan 2007 |
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Roof-Collected Rainwater Fails Health Test |
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17/01/2007 New Zealand Press Association (Wellington)
Drinking water collected from home roofs carries a significant risk of illness, according to a five-year study from Massey University.
The survey found that more than half of 560 samples from private dwellings in New Zealand exceeded the minimal standards for contamination and 30 percent showed evidence of heavy faecal contamination. ``I'm utterly amazed at the number of roof water supplies that fail the New Zealand drinking water standards,'' Stan Abbott, a microbiologist at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, said today.
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| 16 Dec 2006 |
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Boil water notice remains in force |
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Otago Daily Times
Wanaka: A boil water notice issued to Luggate residents on Wednesday remained in force yesterday.
The council was expected to announce the results of further tests on drinking water yesterday but no statement was issued to the media.
Luggate Hotel bar manager Tapi Cooper said she had heard on the grapevine the water had been given the all clear but until she was notified she was continuing to use bottled water.
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| 09 Dec 2006 |
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Water At Pollution Risk |
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09/12/2006, The Press (Christchurch)
Fears are growing that New Zealand risks losing its clean, green image because of polluted waterways. DEBBIE JAMIESON reports.
Brian Turner had a favourite swimming hole as a child in the Rotorua lakes area.
Years later the Dunedin City Council's waste water and storm water operations team leader returned to take his children swimming and found it white, murky and untouchable....
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| 21 Nov 2006 |
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River Flood Taints School's Water |
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The Press (Christchurch)
The army came to the rescue at Darfield High School yesterday, supplying a tanker full of fresh water for students to drink.
Water from the school's drinking fountains is a muddy brown colour after last week's storm which caused problems with the town's water supply from wells alongside the Waimakariri River.
Heavy silting of water means the Selwyn District Council's treatment systems are less effective than normal, and the council has asked Darfield residents to boil their drinking water until further notice.
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| 21 Nov 2006 |
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Waikouaiti water to have C grading |
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21/11/2006, Otago Daily Times
Waikouaiti residents are set to get C-grade water from their upgraded treatment plant, despite the $800,000 worth of work proposed.
Waikouaiti will join Outram and West Taieri as areas that will have C-grade water after 2010, when the West Taieri and northern water schemes are complete.
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| 19 Oct 2006 |
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Naseby's drinking water still tainted |
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The Southland Times: Naseby residents who have been forced to boil their contaminated drinking water for the past month, may have to continue to do so.
Central Otago District Council utility services engineer Robert Lei said the severe snow melt had flushed fine silt into the town's water race, and recent strong winds, which knocked trees down, had also caused impurities to get into the race.
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| 08 Sep 2006 |
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Water To Match Alpine Image |
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The water is now as good as it looks at Mt Cook.
While visitors might have always thought the village's water was pure and crystal clear, the truth was it wasn't.
Until this week the village's drinking water was completely untreated. After rain the E Coli levels were unacceptably high, the result of contamination by thar and rabbit faeces.
This week's commissioning of a $300,000 water scheme means the water now meets the necessary standards.
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| 28 Aug 2006 |
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Contamination put down to leaking tank |
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Wanaka: A leaking septic tank was the most likely cause of drinking water contamination and a gastroenteritis outbreak at Cardrona Alpine Resort last month, operations manager Andy Chapman said yesterday.
Illnesses on the field were now at a We thought the most likely cause could have been an overflow of the septic holding tank on July 23. That had been dealt with at the time and it was felt that was quite localised," Mr Chapman said when contacted.
We haven\'t been able to detect it in the water supply but that doesn\'t mean it was not there," Dr Poore said.
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| 19 Aug 2006 |
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Petition for Clean Water in Harihari |
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19/08/2006 The Press (Christchurch):
Three weeks of violent illness (stomach pains, diarrhoea and lethargy) caused by tap water has prompted a Westland resident to call on the district council for urgent help.
Janet Johnston, of Harihari, 80km south of Hokitika, was encouraged to drink plenty of water to treat a mild illness. Until then, she did not drink much tap water. Not knowing it was contaminated, she drank litres and fell ill...
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| 18 Aug 2006 |
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Nitrate levels in well water on the rise |
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18/8/6 Environment Canterbury:
Nitrate levels in well water on the rise due to recent wet weather, say Environment Canterbury scientists. Concentrations in some wells are exceeding Ministry of Health drinking water standards for the first time in several years.
High concentrations of nitrate in drinking water can pose a health risk for certain people. For this reason the Ministry of Health has set a “Maximum Acceptable Level” (MAV) of 11.3milligrams per litre for nitrate-nitrogen.
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| 02 Aug 2006 |
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Quarry 'Threat' To City Water |
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02/08/06 The Press (Christchurch):
Illegal quarrying has endangered Christchurch's drinking water, an angry Yaldhurst resident said yesterday.
The Christchurch City Council and Environment Canterbury (ECan) had failed to protect the valuable resource by allowing quarries to dig into the water table, Neil McCracken told an informal meeting of councillors and officers from both councils in his Old West Coast Road home.
"This is not a local issue any more," he said. If the city's groundwater were contaminated, "there's no going back".
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| 06 Jul 2006 |
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Clutha screen |
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06/07/06 Otago Daily Times:
Community chance to tap into water supply funds.
Clutha urban and rural water scheme consumers have been asked to give their suggestions for how small communities can tap into a $154 million Government pool to improve their drinking water supplies.
The Ministry of Health roadshow is consulting small communities about the rules and criteria before the funding is made available.
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| 21 Jun 2006 |
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New Drinking Water Bill introduced into Parliament |
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21/06/06 New Zealand Press Association:
A new Bill to ensure all New Zealanders on community water supplies have access to safer drinking-water was introduced to Parliament today by Health Minister Pete Hodgson.
"Compared with other OECD countries, we have relatively high rates of preventable illness caused at least in part by water-borne germs," Pete Hodgson said.
The Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Bill will help to maintain and improve the quality of water in community supplies.
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| 14 Jun 2006 |
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Ross Residents' Water Woes Continue |
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The Press (Christchurch) 14/06/06
Residents in the small West Coast town of Ross are being forced to boil their drinking water.
The town's water supply -- sourced from a nearby creek -- is contaminated.
The source of the contamination was a mystery, Ross Community Council member Peter Bennett said.
Ross joins four other West Coast towns, most on the northern West Coast, on boiled-water notice.
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| 13 Jun 2006 |
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Water upgrade stalled by residents |
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The Daily Post (New Zealand)
TAUPO'S drinking water has one of the lowest gradings in the country but plans to upgrade the treatment plant have stalled because of opposition from residents.
The Taupo District Council wants to build a new water treatment plant on a reserve on Tamatea Rd where there is an existing reservoir.
Mr Davies, who is the spokesman for the residents' group, said water treatment was an industrial activity which didn't belong in a residential area
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| 12 Jun 2006 |
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'Safe' Tap Water Stains Sheets, Scares Tourists |
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Dominion Post 12/06/06
PALMERSTON NORTH residents dismayed with the "dirty" water coming from their taps are being encouraged to complain about it.
Tap water in parts of the city is murky brown after flowing through corroded pipes up to 100 years old. It has ruined washing and alarmed tourists.
The city council's water and waste services manager, Chris Pepper, says people who complain will be visited and assisted.
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| 09 Jun 2006 |
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Meetings to Discuss Water Quality |
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Balclutha: Clutha communities looking to tap into a new Ministry of Health fund for improving drinking water, will get their chance to give feedback next month.
Balclutha will host the first of three southern public meetings on the issue.
Several areas within Clutha District Council may be eligible for government help.
Last year, the Government announced plans to spend $154 million over the next decade to improve the drinking water supplies for communities of fewer than 5000 people.
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| 02 Jun 2006 |
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Officals to explain drinking water assistance scheme |
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Ministry of Health officials are holding public meetings around the country to tell people in small communities how they can access funds to improve drinking water supplies.
Last year, the Government committed $154 million over 10 years to improve small drinking water supplies.
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| 02 Jun 2006 |
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$154 Million To Improve Small Water Supplies |
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Ministry of Health To Improve Small Water Supplies over Next Decade with $154 Million.
The Government believes community drinking-water supplies should be safe and of good quality no matter where they are.
People living in small communities around the country will soon be able to find out if their community qualifies for government assistance to upgrade their drinking-water supply.
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| 31 May 2006 |
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Little Blake puts Awatere water issues on the map |
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The human face of the Awatere water quality issue, two-year-old Blake Bruning is a calm happy child.
But a year ago he was the unwitting focus of New Zealand's first case of E coli 0153 contamination from a public drinking water supply.
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| 23 May 2006 |
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Water - the vital element to maintain your health |
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Since the average body is 75 per cent water, I'm sure that you are well aware of your body's need for adequate water intake and its role as the second most vital nutrient (after oxygen).
But did you know that you are just as likely to get dehydrated in winter as you are in summer? Adequate hydration is clearly essential for optimum health and performance whether that be in day to day life or in athletic performance.
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| 18 May 2006 |
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Hidden Dangers In Household Tap Water |
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Residents told to flush out cancer-causing trace metals. HARMFUL metals leaching into drinking water from household pipes are the focus of new Ministry of Health guidelines ordering local government to warn consumers of the risks.
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| 28 Apr 2006 |
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Residents advised to boil water to reduce contamination risks |
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Ranfurly: Some Central Otago residents have been forced to boil their drinking water since the heavy rainfall this week.
Ranfurly, Omakau, Patearoa and Lake Roxburgh hydro village households were advised yesterday to boil tap water until further notice to avoid contamination.
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| 04 Apr 2006 |
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Locals cross fingers as legionella strikes again |
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Beachlands residents urged to clean tanks to prevent legionnaire's disease. Health officials say the outbreak of legionella bacteria in a coastal part of Manukau City appears to be subsiding, despite confirming a third person has contracted the disease.
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| 29 Mar 2006 |
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Keep water tanks clean to fight disease |
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Legionnaires disease linked to roof-collected tank water which has killed one man in Auckland and infected at least one other is rare, Hawke's Bay District Health Board medical officer of health Lester Calder said.
But it pays to keep your water tanks clean and water treated, Dr Calder said, even though the one or two cases of legionnaires disease in Hawke's Bay each year have been isolated.
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| 25 Mar 2006 |
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Tankwater linked to death |
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Homeowners urged to clean their tanks regularly to guard against sickness. ONE MAN has been killed and another infected by an outbreak of legionnaires' disease in the Manukau City community of Beachlands.
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| 22 Mar 2006 |
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Canterbury District Health Board fails water review |
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Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) drinking water supplies failed to comply with national quality standards in the Health Ministry's latest review, with some samples containing the potentially dangerous gut bacteria E. coli.
Both Princess Margaret and Hillmorton Hospitals' water supplies did not comply with national bacteriological standards in the 2004 review, released yesterday.
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| 22 Mar 2006 |
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Drinking water report shows supplies for some rural communities do NOT meet health standards |
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A report into drinking water has found that supplies for some rural communities do not meet acceptable standards.
The Ministry of Health's Annual Review of Drinking Water Quality in New Zealand 2004, shows that water supplies to 74 percent of New Zealanders meet standards regarding E-coli. That is a three percent improvement on the previous year.
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| 21 Mar 2006 |
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New Zealanders drinking water NOT up to standard |
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Wellington, March 21 NZPA - More than a million New Zealanders are drinking water which is either not up to standard or not being monitored properly, according to a Ministry of Health review released today.
The review assessed the microbiological health risk in water against two criteria: Escherichia coli bacteria and the water born protozoa Cryptosporidium. It also looked at the chemical composition of drinking-water.
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| 19 Jan 2006 |
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Years of boiling lie ahead;High turbidity, new standards blamed |
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Waitati and Warrington residents have been told to boil their water until at least 2010, with no relief in sight until the northern water scheme is completed.
All water for consumption, including water used for salad and vegetable preparation and oral hygiene, will have to be boiled because of high turbidity and the possibility of diseases such as cryptosporidium.
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| 05 Jan 2006 |
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Roof-collected rainwater causing sickness |
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Roof-collected rainwater may be making hundreds of New Zealanders ill each year, according to a Massey University study.
Researchers tested 450 private roof water samples from the lower North Island and found more than 30 percent showed evidence of heavy faecal contamination.
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| 08 Oct 2005 |
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Clean water boost to dairy productivity |
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Return on investment in TroffTop water trough covers is possible in less than five months, the manufacturer says.
The payback to a dairy farmer, based on an average New Zealand farm, would increase annual returns from 300 animals by about $30,000, the company says.
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| 27 Sep 2005 |
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Drinking water consultation begins |
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The consultation process for a proposed new National Environmental Standard for Human Drinking Water Sources begins today.
“A safe and dependable supply of drinking water, at the source, is critical for the health of all New Zealanders, now and in the future,” the Ministry for the Environment’s Chief Executive Barry Carbon said today.
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| 17 Sep 2005 |
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Murky tale of two taps angers city resident |
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Gordon Goldsack wrinkles his nose in disgust at the bottle of murky brown water that came out of the tap in his Hamilton home.
"Would you drink that?" he says, holding up the bottle of liquid so dark that you can't see through it.
On Wednesday he turned on the tap at his Landsdowne Cr home and the brown liquid flowed out.
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| 15 Sep 2005 |
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Cyanobacterial bloom found in Hawke’s Bay |
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Be on the alert: cyanobacterial bloom found in Hawke’s Bay
Hawke’s Bay District Health Board’s (HBDHB) public health unit has issued a warning to the public to be aware of the potential dangers of cyanobacterial algal bloom.
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| 11 Sep 2005 |
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High nitrate levels found Bore water cause health risk |
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High nitrate levels found Bore water concern By Aimee Wilson
Clyde residents who drink water from private bores could face a health risk after high nitrate levels were found in two bores recently.
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| 03 Sep 2005 |
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Fertiliser plant had strain on Legionella |
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A Hornby cooling tower operated by the Ravensdown Fertiliser company has been identified as having contained the same strain of legionella that infected 19 Christchurch people, three fatally.
The disclosure yesterday by both the company and the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) follows weeks of efforts to track down the source of the legionnaires' disease outbreak, which first struck Christchurch in April.
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| 04 Jul 2005 |
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Bug forces Murupara residents to boil water |
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Murupara residents are being urged to continue boiling drinking water for at least another four days after tests revealed traces of bacteria in the town's water supply.
The contamination forced schools in the area to close for three days this week.
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| 06 Jun 2005 |
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A quarter of the NZ population drink water that does NOT meet minimum national health standards |
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More than one million people in New Zealand -- a quarter of the population -- drink water that does not meet minimum national health standards. It is a staggering and unacceptable figure for a country that is blessed with the some of the purest aquifers in the world.
Access to clean drinking water is not only a basic right but a fundamental need, and one which should be beyond dispute in this country. Yet for all that this is a vital public health issue, it is one in which progress towards resolving the situation is grindingly slow.
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| 31 May 2005 |
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Clean up our water |
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How much chronic illness and possible death will it take for us to realise what we are allowing to happen to our "100 per cent pure New Zealand" water supplies (May 27) and do something about it? Small children and adults with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable.
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| 27 May 2005 |
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Warning after deadly bacteria found in water |
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A deadly bacteria that can cause kidney failure has been identified as responsible for the contamination of the water supply in a Marlborough town.
Authorities are urging residents of Seddon to boil their water or take their chances with the deadly form of E. coli, which has already struck down a toddler.
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| 05 May 2005 |
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Poison found at Kaikoura's water supply |
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A water contamination scare has hit Kaikoura after reservoir locks were broken and 1080 poison planted at the town's water supply.
Water samples from the town's reservoirs were taken to Christchurch last night after two 1080 pellets -- a controversial bait used to kill possums and other pests --were found at the reservoir above South Bay about 3pm yesterday.
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| 26 Feb 2005 |
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School not told of water contamination |
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Staff at Pareora East School only became aware their drinking water was contaminated after a student brought a newspaper clipping to school yesterday.
And principal Syd Horgan is concerned the Timaru District Council has put his students' health in unnecessary danger.
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| 15 Dec 2004 |
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Mr Williams's report, released last month highlighted increasing risks to people... |
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Mr Williams's report, released last month highlighted increasing risks to people from water contamination caused by increasing cattle numbers.
Livestock contamination was identified a decade ago as the most prevalent problem for water quality.
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| 15 Nov 2004 |
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Giardia rates high in capital |
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GIARDIA infection rates in Wellington were the second-highest in New Zealand between 1996 and 2000.
A report published in The New Zealand Medical Journal shows the West Coast of the South Island had the highest incidence of the water-borne disease
Wellington was next, with an infection rate of 83.5 for every 100,000 people. Hutt Valley was also badly affected, with a rate of 66.7 for every 100,000.
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| 11 May 2004 |
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Water contamination cost hits reserve fund |
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MASTERTON District Council has dipped into its reserve funds to cover the cost of the last year's cryptosporidium contamination of the town's water supply.
The council's 2003-04 annual report reveals almost $1 million was drawn from reserves to cope with the impact of the contamination and of flooding in the district.
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