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rd th Mar 2018 20ththJan Mar -- 326 27 Feb 2014
FIRST ON THE STREET
No No 434 642
LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN
12 J IN O 7 SI BS D E
enquiries@lwb.co.nz
In the wake of the 2016 Havelock North water contamination crisis, the Government has reinforced its recommendations around the treatment of water supplies across New Zealand. In Queenstown, the QLDC have proposed chlorinating the water in Arrowtown, Arthur’s Point, Glenorchy, Hawea and Luggate on a permanent basis (it already is in most parts of the region). It’s sparked a reaction from many people, partly because the local water supply is presumed ‘pure’, and perhaps because some people believe the hype around so-called ‘toxins’ and the tenuous link between water chlorination and cancer. I think the realisation that local water supplies haven’t been properly protected previously warrants a bigger reaction. In Havelock North, contaminated water caused a campylobacter outbreak which made more than 5,000 people violently ill and has been linked to three deaths. In 1984, before any of Queenstown’s water supplies were chlorinated, about 3500 people became ill with gastroenteritis after a blocked sewer overflowed into Lake Wakatipu near the water supply intake. In 2012, there was an outbreak of norovirus at Cardona due to water contamination and QLDC has regularly had to issue ‘boil notices’ when E.coli has been detected in the water.
Adam Nagy, Martin Anderson and Ben Ferris at Morrison’s Irish Pub on St. Patrick’s day on Saturday.
(Photo: Jodi Walters)
Just because the Queenstown Lakes water doesn’t look like the Ganges, it doesn’t mean it’s as pure as the tourism adverts will have us believe. Wildlife and human activities pollute the water and during storms, debris gets washed into the lakes and rivers increasing the chances of contamination. Systems at the water plant remove most of this, but there’s currently nothing to protect the water supply once it’s in the pipes heading to your home - and that’s bad news for health. The biggest issue with sickness-causing bacteria and viruses is that they can kill – particularly if the patient is very young, old or already has compromised health. There are alternatives to chlorine, but they’re expensive. The Netherlands is a famous example – nationwide, the Dutch have invested heavily in advanced, chlorine-free water purification. However, in recent years some areas have had to chlorinate water supplies due to higher occurrences of Legionnaire’s disease. For now, the addition of a small about of chlorine appears to be the best option available. It’s effective, inexpensive and has been tried and tested for more than 100 years. Yes, if you drink water immediately from the tap, you can taste it… but is a better tasting glass of water worth a violent bout of diarrhoea? Bethany G. Rogers Geordie Off-Shore
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RENTAL PROPERTIES
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