As summer approaches, it’s important to make sure that we can make full use of all water available to us.
We want to remind residents taking water from their own private bores to ensure that the water consumed by their household is safe.
Residents abstracting water from shallow aquifers which are vulnerable to contamination have a responsibility to have adequate water quality treatment systems in place to ensure their water is safe from potential sources of contamination.
It is also important for landowners to know activities on their properties can have an impact on the water quality in the underground aquifer where the water comes from.
If you have a bore on your property, please ensure contaminated water cannot get back down into the bore either through flooding or backflow.
Contamination can include stagnant water near the well, localised seepage into the well, animal faecal contamination, septic tank seepage, and runoff/seepage following rainfall.
Even if the water from your bore looks clean and smells fine, contamination cannot normally be noticed just by looking at or smelling it.
That’s why it’s important to have a water quality treatment system in place which will ensure the water is safe to drink. There are a number of treatment options available, ranging from boiling through to filtering, chemical or UV treatments.
If you’re on a private water supply and you have concerns about your drinking water safety, we recommend you:
- Get your water tested
- Check your filtration system is maintained
- Consider boiling your water
If you need advice about water quality from private water supplies, give us a call on 03 543 8400 and ask to speak to an environmental health officer.