Region fails water compliance test

A Government report has found Marlborough has the worst drinking water compliance rates in the country.

The finding comes as the Marlborough District Council edges toward meeting new national standards on the quality of drinking water in the region.

The Ministry of Social Development social report 2007 used Environmental Science and Research data to map out the percentage of people in each region whose drinking water complied with the 2000 Drinking Water Standards of New Zealand. The 2005 figures are the most up to date available.

The data showed Marlborough had zero compliance for cryptosporidium while E. coli compliance was at just 4.9 percent. Both were the lowest level of compliance in the country.

Stricter water treatment expectations have come in with the Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Bill. The bill is on the brink of becoming law after passing its third reading last month.

Council assets and services manager Mark Wheeler said the council agreed there was a need to upgrade water in Awatere, Renwick and Picton, but other areas had been dragged in unnecessarily.

The council decided in February to stagger its budget for water treatment in the hope the Government would either relax standards or award funding to towns in the region.

"It's all in the budget in anticipation of doing it but the council hasn't made a firm decision on any (of the upgrades) yet," Mr Wheeler said.

While Awatere water was considered to be of "poor quality" and a permanent boil notice was in place for residents, there had never been any known health problems with Blenheim's water.

The new standards were "hugely expensive" with the cost of bringing all the region's water supplies up to national standards projected at $22.7m, he said.

Compliance plans must be underway in Blenheim by July 2009 and Picton a year later.

The council has until July 2011 to begin water treatment upgrades in Awatere, Havelock and Renwick and until July 2013 in the Wairau Valley.

Mr Wheeler said a paper was being prepared ahead of talks over the possibility and level of a council subsidy for Awatere, which was seen as the number one priority.

Once that was determined the council would consult with the community with a view to including a firm funding proposal for treatment in the 2008/2009 annual plan. But it was still hopeful the Government would chip in, he said.

A national drinking water assistance programme will provide more than $117m over 10 years to help towns of less than 5000 people get drinkable water. An application had already been lodged for Awatere.

Nelson Marlborough District Health Board public health service health protection officer Kirsten Todd said E. coli was a common bacteria that we all carried in our gut and there were many different strains.

"We monitor water supplies for E. coli as an indicator of contamination which shows there is potential for other bugs to be there, which can cause illness."

However, within the E. coli group there are strains which can be responsible for illness, Miss Todd said.

Cryptosporidium was a parasite which came from contact with faecal matter and often peaked in dairying areas during calving. Those affected suffered diarrhoea and sometimes vomiting, she said.

- The Marlborough Express