Who to do if you have E.coli in your water system

A number of local water tests have shown E.coli present, as well as a few other nasties here in Beachlands and Maraetai as well as further afield. 

While many of us have under-bench filters or UV filters to protect us from this and other bacteria, there are a huge number of locals still drinking from old water tanks that may appear to be okay, but alarmingly, many are showing up E.coli as well as a few other bacteria. 

According to the Ministry of Health, there are many types of E. coli, most of which are harmless and are an important part of a healthy gut.

However, some types can cause illness.

One type of E. coli that causes illness is Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC, sometimes also called Verotoxin-producing E. coli or VTEC)

People get sick from STEC from:

• drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated raw food
• drinking unpasteurised milk
• contact with infected animals or faeces (poo) of infected people. 

It usually takes between 2–10 days after the bacteria are ingested for the first symptoms to appear.  Often, we blame a bad curry or the chicken we ate yesterday but it could be our water making us or our children ill.  

If you want peace of mind, book a simple water sample appointment today.  We collect Thursday mornings and will have the results back in a few days. We recommend boiling and cooling drinking water if you suspect there may be an issue while you await the results. 

Call Shayne on 021 026 9930 or fill out the contact form with your details and what time you would like to make the sample collection on a Thursday morning.

He will then take you through a few options to remove the issue for good!