Waipā water safe to drink, increase of arsenic levels found
Waipā water remains safe to drink following slightly elevated levels of arsenic found in the district’s treated drinking water.
Waipā District Council tested their treatment plants yesterday after Watercare and Hamilton City Council discovered a small increase in levels of arsenic in their treated water taken from the Waikato River.
The results received today recorded 0.0138 and 0.0145 milligrams per litre from two Waipā water treatment plants. The maximum acceptable standard for arsenic in New Zealand drinking water is 0.01milligrams per litre.
Water Services Manager Karl Pavlovich said the tap water remains safe for drinking, bathing, cleaning, and cooking, and there is no need for residents to boil their water.
Health New Zealand and the Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai said the elevated levels, although a breach of the standards, do not present any immediate concern for public health.
Drinking water with slightly elevated levels for a short period is unlikely to cause any health effects. The limits in the New Zealand Drinking Water Standards are based on the level of risk from a lifetime of drinking the water.
“We have increased the testing of our drinking water to daily to keep a close eye on levels and any changes,” said Pavlovich. “We have also activated the additional processes we usually use over summer to manage water taste, to help reduce the arsenic levels.”
Contact had been made with industry experts to ensure the council was doing all it could to manage the situation.
Naturally occurring arsenic levels in the Waikato River are generated by geothermal activity.
Treatment processes normally remove about 80 per cent of the arsenic content.
“The slight variation that has been picked up may be due to changes in the river caused by environmental or other factors,” said Pavlovich.
Waipā District Council will continue to work closely with nearby councils, Watercare, Health New Zealand and Water Services Authority -Taumata Arowai.
