Boil water notice issued for West Melton

West Melton residents have been cautioned to boil their water after E. coli levels went above recommended limits.

The boil water notice was issued by the Selwyn District Council at 8.30pm on Thursday night.

The elevated levels of E. coli were found at one of the West Melton Water Supply's treatment plants. The plant has been isolated from the water supply and a council spokesperson said the amount of potentially contaminated water was likely to be small due to low demand. Although contamination may be limited to the reservoir , the council cannot guarantee the quality of the town supply. Further sampling is being completed.

E.coli is an organism which can cause health issues. Residents who show any symptoms of sickness, including vomiting and diarrhoea, should visit their doctor as soon as they are able to.
When a boil water notice is in place, the Ministry of Health advises that people should boil or treat all water from taps before drinking, brushing teeth or using it in food preparation. In addition, water used to make ice should also be boiled before freezing.

Bringing water to the boil kills the bug or alternatively, water can be treated with one teaspoon of bleach per 10 litres of water.

The boil water notice was likely to be in place for several days, said the spokesperson.

A map showing the area served by the West Melton water supply is available at selwyn.govt.nz.

- Stuff

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