Motueka bore water advisory
Motueka bore water safety
People have raised concerns about potentially contaminated bore water in Motueka after the flooding.
Tests have been done on around 50 bores and we’re waiting for results to come back from the laboratory which will take several days.
In the meantime, it’s vital Motueka residents who draw water from bores, particularly those with uncovered water sources, to boil all water before using it – this should be always done, not just during or after flooding.
Bacterial contamination is always a very real concern. Boiling water will minimise the risks.
Boil all your water for the following purposes:
- Drinking water
- Food preparation
- Mixing cold beverages
- Utensil washing
- Brushing teeth
- Pets
- Ice making
How to boil water for drinking
- Bring water to a rolling boil (where bubbles appear in the centre and do not disappear when the water is stirred) for one minute or boil a full electric jug until it switches off.
- Cool the water (do not use ice cubes to do this) and pour into clean container with a lid.
- Refrigerate until needed.
Testing your water
If you want to test your water for bacterial contamination, it can be tested for e.coli as an indicator of contamination. A laboratory can do the test.
Cawthron Laboratories - Cawthron Institute Nelson, 98 Halifax Street East, Nelson 7010
Ph 03 548 2319
or Hills Laboratory - Drinking Water Testing | Hill Labs 0508 44 555 22
+64 7 858 2000 (Landline)
- Keep boiling or treating the water until the test results come back with a satisfactory result.
The safe limit for e.coli is zero, which may be written on the result as <1.
The Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai has valuable advice about drinking water safety on its website. https://www.taumataarowai.govt.nz/for-communities/emergencies/drinking-water-following-a-flood/(external link)
There’s also a list of water testing laboratories on the website at https://www.taumataarowai.govt.nz/for-water-suppliers/using-an-accredited-laboratory-to-test-your-drinking-water/
https://info.health.nz/keeping-healthy/protecting-health-natural-disaster/floods-and-health