People living or working in Governors Bay are being advised to boil their water following the discovery of E.coli in the township’s water supply.

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“All water that is used for drinking, food preparation, utensil washing, brushing teeth or making ice should be boiled until further notice,’’ said Christchurch City Council Head of Three Waters and Waste John Mackie.

Governors Bay residents are being advised to boil their water.

“We will be chlorinating the water to kill the E.coli but it is going to take a couple of days to flush the network and to get confirmation the water supply is clear of contaminants so until that happens it is important people heed the boil water notice.’’



Bringing water to the boil is sufficient to kill bugs. If you cannot boil water, treat it by adding one teaspoon of household bleach per 10 litres of water and leave for 30 minutes. Use bleach that is non-scented and has no additives.

Mr Mackie said it was possible the E.coli contamination was caused by the heavy rain over Easter weekend contaminating the Hayes 2 reservoir that supplies water to parts of Governors Bay, but that was yet to be confirmed.

Until the source of the contamination was confirmed, the Council and Community and Public Health were taking a precautionary approach and issuing a boil water notice to the whole of Governors Bay.

An estimated 350 properties are affected. A map of the affected area is available here.

The presence of E.coli in the water supply was only confirmed by the laboratory this morning after water samples were taken yesterday.

“We’ve informed the Canterbury District Health Board of the discovery and are working with them to get the word out to homes, schools, businesses, childcare and healthcare facilities in the affected area,’’ Mr Mackie said.

The boil water notice would remain in place until laboratory tests confirmed the water was safe to drink.

Dr Ramon Pink, Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, said it was important residents in the Governors Bay area boiled or treated all tap water before drinking, brushing teeth or using it in food preparation.

Drinking contaminated water could cause gastroenteritis.

“Gastroenteritis is usually self-limiting, and will settle within one to two days. Dehydration is the main concern and so drinking plenty of fluid is important. Most people will not need to see a doctor but if your symptoms persist, or you are concerned call your GP team for advice,'' Dr Pink said.

Update: 3.25pm Thursday, April 20

Two tankers of drinkable water have arrived in Governors Bay. One tanker containing 9000 litres of water is now stationed in the carpark of the Governors Bay Hotel and a smaller 500 litre tanker is stationed near the Cholmondeley Children's Centre. Governors Bay residents are welcome to get waters from the tankers, which will be refilled as necessary while the boil water notice remains in place. The Council is also distributing bottled water to childcare centres.