Thursday 22 September 2016Media release2 minutes to read
Canterbury DHB Medical Officer of Health, Dr Ramon Pink is supportive of the Christchurch City Council's decision which will fast-track the creation of deeper water bores to service 80,000 people living in north-west Christchurch.
“We very much support Council's decision to bring forward its plan to shut down the shallow wells by the end of March next year,” he said.
“I was also pleased to hear that in the interim, the Council plans to prioritise using the deeper bores, further reducing the risk of contamination. Residents will need to make a concerted effort with water conservation measures over peak water usage periods, so that the shallow bores will not need to be utilised,” Dr Pink said.
The Council will provide information to households in the areas currently serviced by the shallow wells, outlining the risks, stating what individuals can do to help reduce the risk, and letting people know what the plan and time-frame is to switch to new deeper safer bores. They will pay special attention to people with special health needs, such as those on home dialysis.
“Canterbury DHB will continue to work closely with the Council to monitor the quality and safety of the current water supply and if there are any concerns about the level of risk to public health increasing, we will act swiftly to let people know.
“North-west residents can be reassured by the clear results from the Council's extensive water testing programme, which goes well beyond the requirements of the national Drinking Water Standards”, Dr Pink said.
Page last updated: 19 October 2022
Is this page useful?