Christchurch water chlorination

Starting on the 26th March, the City Council started a programme of chlorinating Christchurch water supply for “up to” one year. This is a stance the council have taken to mitigate any risk of contamination while some repair work is done on some well heads. Full information about what they are doing can be read about on the CCC website here.

Christchurch has a proud history of having some of the best drinking water in the world, and locals will be upset to have the taste and smell of chlorine present in our water. Prominent in the memory of most people will be the events of water contamination in Havelock North, where several people fell sick and some were hospitalised. While noone wants to see this happen here, the question should be asked of why we are in this position now. Why were plans not put in place to prevent this from happening as the council must have known the old boreheads would be due for repair?

What can be done about the taste of chlorine you ask? You could arrange for a plumber to install a filter in your sink. That can be an expensive excercise so an alternative is to purchase a filter jug. These can be found at shops like The Warehouse or Briscoes and cost around $30. You will have the extra cost of a new filter each month.

A government inquiry issued after the Havelock North scare contaied a recommendation of universal treatment of drinking water. Let’s all hope that when the year is up, the council do indeed stop chlorinating.