Media Release

21 November 2013

Filthy, polluted water is unacceptable

HRV is challenging the Government to establish higher filtration standards – and is poised to take matters into its own hands – following the announcement that the country’s waterways remain polluted despite decades of attention.

Commenting on the water quality report released today by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, HRV chief executive Bruce Gordon said that while he was not surprised at the results, New Zealanders should not be begrudgingly accepting what they have the power to change.

“Although this report focuses on water quality stemming from a change in land use with regard to waterway pollution, the reality is that residents in many towns and cities throughout New Zealand receive their drinking water from these same lakes and rivers; the Waikato River is just one of these reservoirs.

“The Ministry of Health’s annual report on drinking-water quality released in June this year stated that 4.2 per cent of the population received water that was contaminated with chemicals and bacteria such as E. Coli and traces of faeces.

“I'm sure water providers are doing the best they can to rid polluted supplies of the various high risk contaminants. However, they often lack the funds to properly filter out the chemicals and impurities created in the treatment process which can then create health issues.”

The company has gone to great lengths to establish a whole home water filtration product, HRV Water, and has begun informing home owners and residents that they now have a choice in what water they consume.

“New Zealanders do have a choice when it comes to having untainted, healthy water available in their home. Ideally, this would be done post-treatment phase by the Government but, as this report shows, it is not happening nor will it realistically be achieved.

“The only official advice provided is to run your tap for a minute in the morning before drinking it, but this only removes contaminants in the pipes.

“HRV Water is an unobtrusive four stage filtration unit plumbed between the mains water supply to your home filtering all the water to every tap including shower heads, washing machines and hot-water cylinders. Filtering chemicals, impurities and hard metals is a no-brainier for the health conscious, or those with skin or respiratory ailments. “These whole home filtration systems are common in countries such as the United States as they offer consumers better control and confidence in the most important of all the elements – the water we drink, cook with, bathe in and wash our clothes in."

“We don't usually stop and think about the quality of the water we use every day, but when we see this report, we really should.”

For more information on what HRV is doing to improve water quality entering the home visit hrv.co.nz.

END.

This release was distributed on behalf of HRV New Zealand by BPR.

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