Stuff

A boil water notice stopping east Christchurch residents from drinking tap water, using it for food preparation or brushing their teeth should lift in time for Christmas.

Residents were advised to start boiling their water on Saturday after traces of e Coli were found at a city pump station. The warning was issued to thousands of households in parts of Shirley, Bexley, Wainoni and New Brighton.

The station provides water directly to about 2000 homes but the boil water notice was issued for the entire Rawhiti water supply zone, which has about 14,000 properties within its boundaries.
A Christchurch City Council spokeswoman said water from the Keyes pump station and the Rawhiti zone would be monitored until samples from three consecutive days showed it was clear of any contamination. Tests on Monday and Sunday had come back clear, she said.If Tuesday's testing came back clear, the boil water notice would be lifted, she said. Investigations into the cause of the contamination were ongoing.

It comes as swimmers were firmly warned off entering the water around Rapaki and Sandy Bay as the area has been contaminated with very high levels of faecal bacteria on Monday. 

Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Alistair Humphrey said the water quality in the Sandy Bay and Rapaki areas were not suitable for recreational uses.

Water contaminated by human or animal faecal matter may contain a range of disease causing micro-organisms such as viruses, bacteria and protozoa, and could lead to serious diseases such as hepatitis A, or salmonella infection.

Eating shellfish from these sites should also be avoided, he said. If fish had to be eaten, people were advised to remove the gut and liver and wash the fish in clean water before cooking.

Stuff