Source: Radio New Zealand
2024 data shows drinking water suppliers serving 80,000 people had positive tests for E coli. RNZ
The water regulator is satisfied with the approach taken by more than a dozen rural schools, after they had E coli breaches in their water supplies.
The Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai data from 2024 shows drinking water suppliers serving 80,000 people had positive tests.
There were 38 water suppliers that had positive tests and did not issue a warning, and 18 of those where small rural schools.
Head of regulatory Steve Tayor told Nine to Noon he was satisfied no one was put at risk, but expects suppliers to investigate how it occurred to prevent it from happening again.
In some cases it was possible to isolate the part of the network that had tested positive for E coli, he said.
“In that situation you don’t actually need to issue a boil water notice because there are no consumers affected by it.”
In a school where part of its network tested positive for E coli for example, it would be possible to disconnect the water supply, he said.
“If it’s a holiday period that’s entirely appropriate and that avoids the risk, so if it’s over a weekend you can just disconnect the supply at that time when there are no pupils in that school.”
Taylor said they were seeing a disproportionate number of schools with positive E coli results and they want to see the numbers come down.
“We’d also expect to see in each case the investigation behind what is the reason for that E coli, starting to identify the sorts of improvements and changes needed within those supplies to ensure that actually those E coli readings don’t happen again in the future.”
The Ministry of Education was working to undertake a number of condition assessments across those schools, he said.
“The condition assessment that they’ve been undertaking has involved going around, looking at each case, identifying where the problems in the treatment is and then identifying what the work required is to resolve that.”
The schools under the spotlight had a mix of rooftop collection from rainwater collection and tanks and some had bores as well, he said.
The basic treatment requirements were similar for each, he said.
He said they had tried to make it easier for schools to comply by introducing “acceptable solutions”.
“It’s an alternative to complying with the drinking water rules and an acceptable solution, it’s a smaller unit, it’s basically got your UV treatment that destroys your protozoa and bacteria, it’s got filtration that removes some of the main sediment out and then it can pass through.”
That avoids the need for managing chlorine, for example, which could be difficult in a school situation, as well as reducing ongoing maintenance costs and making it far simpler for schools, he said.
Water NZ chief executive Gillian Blythe told Nine to Noon it was important to look at whether organisations had barriers in place to protect against E coli.
The Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai, in 2023 wrote to a number of councils to say they did not have the multiple barriers that were necessary in place, she said.
“So you didn’t have your bacteria, you didn’t have your protozoa, you didn’t have your residual disinfection, your chlorine arrangements.”
Since then councils had been investing in water processes, she said.
That had not necessarily been happening in small rural schools, she said.
Blythe said there were capital and capability components in getting school’s drinking water up to scratch and Water NZ had had good engagement with the Ministry of Education.
Water NZ advised schools throughout the country in both city and rural areas to flush their taps after the weekend or after the holidays.
“In some parts of the country there are lead fittings that are there, there might be dust that might have somehow got in, it’s got a bit stagnant, you know flush your taps, there are those simple things that we can do to keep us all safe.”
The Ministry of Education says it has come to an agreement with the regulator to reach a target of 64 schools reaching full drinking water compliance by that end June 2027 deadline.
It says it is on target to ensure all schools have the infrastructure they need to provide safe drinking water by 2030.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
