Whangārei toddler falls ill after playing in E. coli-contaminated Pūtahi Park water fountain

Pūtahi Park's water feature when it first opened in 2022. Photo / NZME

A Whangārei mother is sounding the alarm after her toddler became “violently ill” after playing in a popular water fountain contaminated with E. coli.

Whangārei District Council apologised, saying they took immediate action to ensure the problem never happens again.

Paula Maunder’s 18-month-old son spent less than an hour on November 8 playing in the jets of Pūtahi Park’s interactive water feature in the Town Basin.

The outgoing toddler didn’t shy away when the water splashed his face. Maunder believed he ended up drinking quite a bit of the contaminated water.

She said the following day he became “violently ill”.

She and her husband kept a close eye on the boy over the weekend.

However, when his stomach became hot to the touch the concerned parents made an early morning dash to Whangārei Hospital’s emergency department.

The doctor told them he had gastroenteritis — a common and contagious illness that causes vomiting.

When the parents mentioned the water fountain, the doctor reportedly said their son’s case was not the first he had come across linked to the fountain.

Maunder complained to the council about the water at the Pūtahi Park fountain.

Whangārei District Council confirmed in an email to her they had found E. coli in the water after carrying out tests prompted by Maunder’s concerns.

WDC parks and reserves manager Louis Rattray said at some point a fault had occurred in the system that automatically adds chemicals to the water.

The fault caused chlorine levels to drop for a time between weekly testing of the system.

E. coli was introduced either by birds, fountain users, or another way, in that time, Rattray said.

“Because the system became unbalanced, the E. coli was able to establish rather than being killed as it would have been if the system was working properly.”

Rattray said the fountain water was separate from the city’s drinking water.

The fountain was immediately turned off while the council worked with a specialist contractor to fix the problem.

“We are most apologetic to the family,” Rattray said.

Maunder said maintaining the district’s water should be a top priority for the council.

“I’m gutted I put my trust in them for one day.”

The National Public Health Service was aware of the issue at Pūtahi Park but had not been notified of any linked E. coli cases.

Dr Ankush Mittal, Medical Officer of Health for the service, said not all types of E. coli illness are notifiable to public health.

“There may also be people in the community who have E. coli but are self-managing their symptoms, or for whom test results are still being processed.”

Mittal said the symptoms of E. coli are generally mild but can be more serious in young children, older people and people with poor immune systems.

The council has since changed its treatment and testing programme to ensure the issue “never happens again”.

A second water sample came back clear after the system was given a shock treatment with chlorine.

Rattray said the council would check the water daily during the week and increase the dose of chlorine — within safe levels — on Friday afternoons to keep the water safe over the weekend.

“We encourage anyone who uses the fountain in the future and who may become ill to contact the council so we can investigate.”

Mittal said most people with E. coli did not need to see a healthcare provider but if they were concerned about their or their children’s health to contact one.