Greenpeace Aotearoa is announcing more free drinking water nitrate testing events, after ECan failed to vote on providing free water testing for rural communities. The organisation says it will be in Ashburton and Methven in early April to continue to provide certainty around whether people’s drinking water is safe.

Greenpeace’s Canterbury-based freshwater spokesperson Will Appelbe says, "Safe healthy drinking water is a fundamental human right, but for many in Canterbury that right has been eroded, as their drinking water has been contaminated with nitrate by the dairy industry.

"No one should be worried that they’ll get sick by drinking the water coming out of their kitchen tap, but that is unfortunately the reality here. We want to ensure that people are aware of the risks associated with nitrate and that they know what’s in their water."

At levels of nitrate above 11.3 mg/L - New Zealand’s maximum allowable value of nitrate in drinking water - nitrate contamination can cause blue baby syndrome if that water is used to make infant formula.

However, a growing body of science has shown increased health risks associated with much lower levels of nitrate in drinking water, including risks of bowel cancer and pre-term birth. The New Zealand College of Midwives advises that pregnant people should find an alternative water source, if their water is over 5 mg/L of nitrate, due to the risk of pre-term birth.

"Unfortunately, it’s really hard for people - especially in rural communities - to find out the nitrate level of their drinking water," says Appelbe. "The cost of using a conventional testing service can be prohibitive, and for those who are not on council-monitored water supplies, they bear the burden of paying for testing.

"It’s deeply unfair that rural communities must pay to test whether their water is free from pollution they didn’t create. Nitrate pollution is a consequence of the intensive dairy industry’s overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, and a dereliction of duty from Environment Canterbury and successive governments - but it’s the community that’s picking up the tab.

"Environment Canterbury’s recent decision to roll out a pilot study to test for nitrate levels is a decent measure, but they fell short of providing region-wide nitrate testing events for private well owners, who must continue to pay out of pocket to check if their water is safe to drink. It’s incredibly concerning that the regional council, which is responsible for protecting source water - and therefore drinking water - from pollution, is failing to provide this critical service.

"Greenpeace is committed to continuing to provide free water testing for nitrate contamination - because everyone, no matter where they live, who they vote for, or where they source their water from, should have access to safe healthy drinking water."

Greenpeace will be testing drinking water in Ashburton from 10:30am-4:30pm on Friday 4th April at the Ashburton Events Centre, and then in Methven from 1pm-5pm at the Mt Hutt Memorial Hall.

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