A boil water notice has been issued for Greymouth and surrounding areas after possible contamination of the water supply was identified during routine sampling, leading one of the town’s high schools to close early.
In a statement posted to Facebook, the Grey District Council said affected areas included Greymouth, Cobden, Blaketown, Boddytown, Karoro, South Beach, Paroa, Kaiata, Dobson Taylorville, Stillwater, Runanga, Dunollie, Coal Creek and Rapahoe.
“Council has begun the required testing and monitoring process. To lift the notice, three consecutive days of clear test results are required,” the post read.
In an update this afternoon, the council said follow-up testing “detected total coliforms in the water supply zones of Stillwater, Cobden, and Kaiata. In addition to the total coliforms”. In addition, 1 E.coli has been detected in the Kaiata water supply zone.
“The presence of total coliforms and E.coli in drinking water can suggest contamination of harmful bacteria and can be a risk to public health.”
Sampling has been carried out in all supply zones in the Greater Greymouth area, as well as the treatment plant. Further results are expected tomorrow.
An investigation into the source of the contamination is underway.
Residents of the affected areas were asked to boil all drinking water before use until further notice.
“This includes water for drinking, cooking, preparing food or baby formula, and brushing teeth,” the council said.
“We understand this situation is inconvenient for residents and businesses, and we sincerely thank the community for their patience. These measures are essential to protect public health and ensure the safety of our drinking water supply.”
John Paul II High School announced it was closing from 12.30pm today due to contamination of the water supply.
“We will open Thursday and Friday as usual, and students must bring their own drinking water. There are no supplies available at school.”
