Greymouth Water Supply Polluted

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30578, 22 October 1964, Page 1

Greymouth Water Supply Polluted

(From Our Own Reporter) GREYMOUTH, October 2. A series of tests carried out by the staff of the Grey Hospital during September revealed faecal coliforms in three places in the water supply.

The first contamination was noted on September 8 in a water sample taken from a house in Lydia street. The next day heavy faecal pollution was found in water running from a tap in the hospital laboratory. The third discovery was made on the other side of the town in Nelson quay, Cobden, on September 4. In his report to the monthly meeting of the Grey Hospital Board, the surgeon-superin-tendent, Mr S; de C. Barclay, said it would appear that the town’s water supply was intermittently contaminated in a potentially dangerous manner.

“All we can do is to forward the report to the Greymouth Borough Council in the hope that at some time it may be able to find the source of the trouble,” he said. After the hospital staff detected considerable faecal contamination earlier this year the council examined the supply system. As a result of this a lengthy report con-

taining a number of recommendations to remedy the position was adopted by the council. A water sample was obtained and tested for the council by the Health Department on September 14. No unhealthy coliform organisms were present.