An article in the “Otago Daily Times” by Mary Williams has pointed to a looming health problem in Southland with nitrate levels in drinking water revealed by an Environment Southland report.
An increase in nitrate-containing groundwater is likely to be due to a rise in intensive farming, mainly dairying. Excessive nitrate levels can cause illness and death.
Underground aquifer is the source of many people’s drinking water across Southland.University of Otago public health and water academic Marnie Prickett and environmental organisation Greenpeace have called on Environment Southland to declare a nitrate emergency and reduce intensive dairy farming.
The “Otago Daily Times” reported Marnie Prickett as saying the report, titled “Nitrogen Contamination in Southland Groundwater” was “comprehensive, clear and the news is not good. It shows a concerning nitrate problem”.
Chairman of freshwater science at the University of Otago Prof Ross Thompson also linked nitrate and farming intensification and said the issue was of “environmental and public health concern, and requires urgent attention”.The maximum allowable nitrate in drinking water is 11.3mg/L, but the National College of Midwives has warned pregnant women about levels exceeding 5mg/L risking pre-term birth and low birthweights and public health academics have said levels below this may be a concern, including as a cause of colorectal cancer.Ms Prickett said any level above 3.5mg/L was indicative of “serious degradation of environmental health let alone public health”.
Nitrogen is toxic to fish at far lower levels than it is to humans. “The “Freshwater for Life” website says “nitrate has ecosystem consequences at much lower levels than when it becomes unsafe to drink. Ecosystem effects can start to occur at levels below 1 mg/l in water.” Excessive higher levels of nutrients mainly nitrates and phosphorous in r inverse and lakes result in soupy, green slimy, smelly water.”
These changes are harmful and eventually lethal for river ecology, making it impossible for fish and insects to live.”
Canterbury and the wider South Island have some of New Zealand’s highest colorectal cancer rates, which is one of the nation’s highest in the world. South Canterbury has reported rates around 113 per 100,000.
I wonder of those in denial, what they might say if they or a loved one got colorectal cancer. I bet no longer would they deny the link that a Danish study showed.
That major Danish study analysed 2.7 million people over 23 years and showed a strong link between high nitrate level in drinking water and the cancer.
In the “bargain” aquatic life and the public’s rivers and public’s trout and salmon fisheries ssuffer fatalities.
The nitrate issue is like a cancer itself, insidious creeping into Southland now.
It all seemed to start when the Key National government carried out a government takeover of a democratically elected ECAN council about 2008 and put in gutless, weak-kneed puppet commissioners.
It was a takeover more like a communist state grab.
John Key should be stripped off his knighthood and along with his comrade Nick Smith who was Minister for the Environment, publicly shamed.
I would like to pay a compliment to those organisations like the NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers, Greenpeace and any others who have publicly advocated against the short sighted policy of dairying in low rainfall areas.
Even a 3rd former could see the irrational folly of that.
Dairying is banned in many parts of Europe because of nitrate poisoning of the groundwater. Yet NZ ignores the facts and continues with dairying with few controls. Weak government has led to this. It will take strong government to fix it. Don’t expect much from the present lot, judging by their track record.
https://www.odt.co.nz/southland/nitrate-news-not-good%E2%80%99-southland
Environment Southland’s General Manager Science, Karen Wilson has adopted an “ECan -like” response in its Feb 24 media release;
” Although the report doesn’t present new data, it brings together a wide range of information to give an integrated view of groundwater quality, nitrate sources, and health risks.
The science formed the basis of the Southland Water and Land Regional Plan which was accepted by the Environment Court………………………..
Nitrate contamination of groundwater in Southland is widespread reflecting the combined effects of intensive land use and the underlying vulnerability of many of the region’s groundwater systems”
It begs the question why Environment Southland, (like ECan), failed to comply with S. 30 of the RMA 1991 to regulate land use to protect its region’s water quantity, quality, freshwater ecosystems and coastal waters rather than accommodating the massive increase in dairy cows now farmed on the free draining floodplains of the Aparima, Oreti, and Mataura Rivers.
Nitrate pollution is not an “Act of Nature” it is an act of corporate farming!
God help Southland when New Zealand finally does wake up and reduce the acceptable nitrate level to a realistic (health wise) figure in the range of 1-3mgN/L. Almost all of Southland are drinking water above that. Roll on colo-rectal cancers!
Stay away from Balfour and the other worst affected areas unless you have taken your bottle of glacial water.
This is the price the people of NZ pay for economic growth.
Trouble is, they have never been given a choice in the matter, so their quality of life is to be sacrificed.