Increase in water testing for farmers and lifestyle block owners

Q Labs head technician Rachel Coburn inspects a water sample in her Waipawa lab that has tested positive for E.coli. Photo/Clinton Llewellyn

Increased awareness among farmers and lifestyle block owners about the risks of water contamination has resulted in a major boost in business for a Waipawa firm.

Q Labs in Waipawa, previously known as Quantum Laboratories, says demand for its services has boomed since last August's water contamination crisis in Havelock North, which left 5000 people ill after an outbreak of campylobacter.

Q Labs managing director Raymond Burr said while his firm also carried out soil and herbage testing, there had been a significant increase in demand for testing for E.coli and other bacteria, mostly from farmers and lifestyle block owners who were relying on bores and rain water tanks for their domestic water consumption, as well as for livestock.

"For the period between September 2016 and April this year, we have had five times the volume of bacterial samples coming through, compared to the corresponding period the previous year," he said.

Q Labs' head testing technician Rachel Coburn welcomed the greater awareness after the gastro crisis. She said historically, farmers and others not connected to town water had not always 'appreciated the risk' of water contamination occurring on their properties.

"It's a real cultural problem. People come in, and even though they might be feeling ill, they don't think they have a problem because they've always been on rain water. But 90-95 per cent of the time, that first test will come back positive [for E.coli] and they are often surprised. People don't appreciate the risks [of water contamination]," she said.

She said contaminated water, particularly from water tanks, was a major cause of gastroenteristis.

"If you have one E.coli bacterium that makes it into that water tank and there's enough nutrients there, within 24 hours -- if there are perfect growing conditions -- you will have one trillion bacteria. So it happens really fast -- it's exponential growth. Every 20 minutes the number of E.coli can double."

Bores were less of a problem, she said, but if the bore heads were not secure they could be prone to contamination after heavy seasonal rains due to the volume of water moving around in the soil.

"Water testing is only one part of the story --protecting natural water sources, like springs and bores, from effluent run-off through fencing and waste management is equally important."

But people with water tanks needed to be vigilant all year round, she urged.

"In high summer when water levels are low and there's no replenishing water coming into a system, you can get a rise in bacteria levels as well. So [the risk] is actually year-round," she said.

Brookvale Road bore No 1 in Havelock North was shut down after the camplyobacter outbreak last August.

Testing for E.coli is recommended once a year if there are treatment protocols or a UV filter in place, otherwise it is recommended at three-monthly intervals.

If a water source supplies more than 20 people, testing needs to be carried out every three months under new regulations that came in last July, but can be reduced to once-a-year after 12 months of clear tests.

Q Labs charges $28 inc GST for water testing with results available in 24 hours.

If E.coli is detected, the Hawke's Bay District Health Board recommends boiling or chlorinating drinking water until the source of the contamination has been found and removed.

Contamination advice for owners of private bores and water tanks can also be found at healthed.govt.nz by searching for 'water'.