Water NZ survey reveals growing risk of contamination in private water supplies

Many thousands of people could be at risk from drinking water with high levels of nitratesWater New Zealand President, Kelvin Hill says there are thousands of private drinking water bores throughout the country, particularly on farms and on lifestyle blocks, and many may not be meeting current Drinking Water Standards.He says that Water New Zealand’s latest National Performance Review has found that more than 225,000 people do not have a municipal water connection and use either rainwater tanks or private bores for their water supply."While it is the responsibility of regional councils to monitor water quality in their regions, this doesn’t extend to ongoing monitoring of private water bores."If you look at the situation in Christchurch, it is quite clear that our ground water is under pressure from farming and increased agricultural activities."The 2017/2018 National Performance Review is available here.