CEO UPDATE Monday 11 December 2017
Clean, safe water essential for daily life Water has been in the headlines of late, and looks set to stay that way with many councils imposing restrictions on use, as the hot, dry weather has resulted in increased use and many reservoirs are running dry. Ageing infrastructure has caused issues, and the lack of rain in many areas is creating its own set of problems. Not to mention global warming and the proliferation of algal blooms affecting our recreational waterways. When drinking water supplies become restricted or contaminated we are reminded how much we rely on them every day. Last week the Government released Stage 2 of the Inquiry into Havelock North Drinking Water. The inquiry indicated that while drinking water standards instituted in 2007 were international best practice at the time, since then NZ’s standards have not kept up with the rest of the world. One of the recommendations of the report was that all drinking water supplies should be treated [with chlorine]. One of Canterbury’s Medical Officers of Health, Dr Alistair Humphrey, said the Christchurch water supply was unique in many respects: “I strongly agree with the recommendation in Stage 2 of the Havelock Inquiry. In particular, a multi-barrier approach to the protection of drinking water is critical and in line with the Health Act and the New Zealand Drinking Water Standards. "Protection of source water is very important and the Inquiry has concluded that there should be greater rigour around protection of source water particularly with regards to the RMA [Resource Management Act]. "They have also recommended that Drinking Water Assessors are properly resourced and that protection of our drinking water should be better resourced across the country.
"In principle, I agree that chlorination is a valuable extra barrier in protecting our drinking water and that it should be used wherever appropriate. There may be rare exceptions when there are alternatives to chlorination, but chlorination should be the default position. "Christchurch’s drinking water supply is potentially one such exception. The Christchurch City Council (CCC) is mindful of this and has invested heavily in monitoring the supply and maintenance of the reticulation system. This in effect is another barrier which is equivalent to, and possibly better in certain circumstances, than chlorination itself. "It should be remembered that chlorination does not protect against all waterborne illness, specifically protozoa are not treated effectively by chlorine. I have therefore respected and agree with the CCC’s approach to multi-barrier drinking water protection, which does not involve chlorine but still maintains safe water supply. "CCC have a strong mandate from their community for this provision but from a technical approach this is also defensible. "Why is it that Christchurch is an exception? Because Christchurch’s water supply lies in a confined aquifer which is effectively sealed off from the surface and CCC and Environment Canterbury (ECan) have a rigorous approach to protecting the unconfined part of the aquifer, to the west of the city, which ensures contaminants do not leak into our drinking water source. "However I believe that increased rigour around protecting our source water is important as recommended by the Havelock Inquiry”.
In this issue »» Destination Outpatients... pg 6 »» The Parking Spot... pg 7
»» Battle between a nurse and the Avon river: »» Final Canterbury Grand Round for the nurse wins | Latest key messages from year | Play with a Purpose turns 10 years Canterbury Clinical Network (CCN)... pg 12 old... pg 15
»» Shout Outs from week one... pg 8
»» Company on journey to better health for its »» The annual Burwood Rose Show... pg 16 staff... pg 13 »» Pre-Christmas meal enjoyed at »» Highly respected enrolled nurse retires Christchurch campus... pg 17 »» Crusaders bring smiles... pg 10 after long career... pg 14 »» One minute with... pg 18 »» Graduates choose nursing careers... pg 11 »» Zero duplications “fantastic result”... pg 9
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