CHECK-UPS: The Hawke's Bay Regional Council website states you have an obligation to keep property bores well maintained and managed correctly. Photo/Duncan Brown.
CHECK-UPS: The Hawke's Bay Regional Council website states you have an obligation to keep property bores well maintained and managed correctly. Photo/Duncan Brown.
Despite much of the spotlight shining on just three Brookvale Rd bores since last year's campylobactor outbreak, it's possible locals have paid little attention to the 8000 private bores in backyards throughout Hawke's Bay.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council groundwater scientist Simon Harper has advocated that the public monitor their boresand take all the preventative measures they can to ensure they reduce the risk of contaminating their bore water.
"What you've done is made a hole into the aquifer that is then prone to be potentially contaminated and what you're trying to do there is set it up in such a way to minimise the risk," he said.
While the regional council is responsible for issuing bore permits to allow bores to be drilled, their website specifies those with a bore currently on their property have an obligation to keep it well-maintained and managed correctly.
Mr Harper said there were a number of preventative measures locals could take to ensure their bore was up to standard, including a basic visual inspection to ensure their well was sealed from the open environment to prevent contaminants entering it.
It was also recommended the area surrounding the well head be kept clear of rubbish, pesticides, fertilisers, compost and animals and that the area between the well casing the ground was sealed so that rain or surface water would drain away instead of ponding around the casing.
According to the Hawke's Bay District Health Board there are a number of early warning signs that may indicate that drinking water has become contaminated including detection of E.coli in monitoring, observations of unusual smells, tastes or colour in the water and reports of illness that may be linked to the water supply.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council resource use manager Wayne Wright said the council was already monitoring a number of private bores on a regular basis as part of a routine programme.
He also said the council had started the process of contacting bore owners from their records to determine the current state of their bores including security, location, and use.
"Based on our learnings from our first contact with bore owners and an evaluation of the resources that will be required, the next step will be to determine how we continue to check the remaining bores within the region."
Anyone who wants to discuss any queries or concerns about their bores can contact the Hawke's Bay Regional Council on 06 835 9200, 0800 108 838 or consents@hbrc.govt.nz.
