No Serious Water Contamination

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31658, 19 April 1968, Page 1

No Serious Water Contamination

Health Department tests have shown no serious contamination of water supplies, according to the department’s supervising inspector of health (Mr J. B. Snoad).

Samples of Halswell’s supply tested showed that the only contamination remaining after last week’s storm is from harmless soil bacteria. The first sample taken contained a small amount of bacteria indicating faecal contamination, and it was thought that residents would have to boil their drinking water as it was not possible to chlorinate the supply. The latest samples had not so far confirmed this, and the water tested was harmless, Mr Snoad said.

He said it was not certain how water supplies in parts of Christchurch became contaminated after flooding and this was being investigated by local bodies. Water supplies in the Sumner area, in the Waimairi district round Burnside, and also in the Lyttelton, Heathcote and Halswell areas were found to be polluted during the week-end. There was still some contamination in the Heathcote area, but this was not harmful since it also came from soil bacteria, said Mr Snoad.