Arsenic levels in the Waikato River

Monitoring systems have picked up elevated levels of arsenic in the Waikato River which is drawn on for water supplies in the Hamilton area and contributes to some parts of the Auckland drinking water supply.

Steve Taylor, Head of Operations at Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai says there is no risk to public health.

“The Maximum Acceptable Value (MAV) for arsenic is 0.01mg/L. Recent testing of water drawn from the Waikato River has shown slightly elevated levels of arsenic of 0.013 mg/L. Arsenic is a naturally occurring substance in New Zealand because we are a geothermal country.

“This is a short-term exceedance of a long-term MAV. Humans require very long-term exposure to this level of arsenic before public health is of concern. The water is safe to drink.

“ WaterCare and Hamilton City are working to reduce levels of arsenic and we have asked them to keep us informed on the results of further testing over the next few days.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to work with the drinking water suppliers to ensure they are taking appropriate steps to manage and resolve the issue.”