cichlid7 Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 Water supply for most Christchurch homes has been chlorinated after potentially dangerous E.coli bacteria was discovered in the city's largest reservoir. The E.coli was discovered during a regular test of the 37,000-cubic metre water reservoir on Huntsbury Avenue in St Martins on Thursday and chlorine was added on Friday. The contamination meant two smaller reservoirs with a total capacity of 1465cu m of water had to be chlorinated. Christchurch City Council pumps and control manager Graeme Black said the reservoirs supply water to most households south of Brougham Street all the way out to New Brighton. Christchurch's water supply is untreated, but chlorine is added if regular council tests of reservoirs and pipes detect any bugs. The Huntsbury contamination has been traced to rainwater leaking into the reservoir through a crack in the concrete tank. The crack was sealed yesterday morning. Black said the reservoir had not been chlorinated since it was cleaned out four years ago and the contamination was "very, very rare". "We have tested it every day and it has cleared any bugs that were in the system," he said. The test found one E.coli microbe every 100 millilitres of water in the reservoir, so 0.5 parts of chlorine per million of water was added to clean out the supply. Tap water would smell and taste slightly of chlorine until the reservoir is completely refreshed by Friday, said Black. http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4668684a6530.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 .5ppm would get used up in the natural chlorine demand of the water I would have thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 Yarrr - I changed out 750-800 litres at the weekend and haven't noticed any ill effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquanaut Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 Christchurch water is brilliant 99.999% of the time. I should know, i use to drill the wells for the council Most wells are around 150 metres deep and artesian. The water flows out of some at 100 litres a second and have up to 5 metres of head. The temperature of the water is about 12-14 degrees when it flows out. Chlorinating every so often isn't a bad thing as long as people are well informed. It is pretty diluted, I wouldn't think harmful to fish if you have done water changes. They can mix the well water from different stations together to if they what to lower the ph levels and what not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 thanks for the heads up cichlid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BK Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 Did 50-60% water changes on 2 Discus tanks in the weekend and no problems. would have been nice to know b4 hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 It only supplied water to south of Brougham St and out to Aranui so may not have got to you anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 I wouldn't worry to much, 0.5ppm in the res means it will be much lower in the reticulation, any one living below the huntsbury res may have noticed it but when it hits the flat it will be mixed in with water from another 4 - 5 wells. Not a christchurch wide issue as stated in the paper but a isolated issue around Huntsbury hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 Most wells are around 150 metres deep and artesian. Well the newer ones are, alot of the older ones are quite shallow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 I want Christchurch water! TM & aquanaut, it sounds like you might have the expertise between you... If I provided a very long hose, could you sneak me a personal supply of Chch water here in Auckland? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 I want Christchurch water! TM & aquanaut, it sounds like you might have the expertise between you... If I provided a very long hose, could you sneak me a personal supply of Chch water here in Auckland? sure, don't see why not, thats how you get electricity from down here now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted August 28, 2008 Report Share Posted August 28, 2008 Yay! I'll have your electricity & your water. Next I'll be after your air. I was at an event last night hosted by the Sustainable Business Network here in Auckland and I was making small-talk with a woman who's a water quality consultant. We were talking about the fact that we've had so much rain, but that doesn't necessarily mean good quality drinking water is available to everyone. I said, "I know what you mean. Apparently Christchurch has had to add chlorine to their water recently due to a crack in one of their storage tanks." She seemed very impressed that I was keeping track of drinking water quality issues all over the country :lol: Eventually I fessed up and admitted I read about it on a fishy-forum but it made for some good small talk. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 It wouldn't have been the rain as such, but the rain washing what the birds and possums left behind into the tank. 'Keep your lids on folks" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.