Free water testing in Glenavy, South Canterbury today has returned the highest nitrate readings for any town Greenpeace has conducted tests in.
Greenpeace has been undertaking free town-hall water testing since mid-2021 and also runs a free mail-in testing service, which has sampled over 1500 household bores.
Six hundred residents in the Lower Waihao and Waikakahi East water schemes in the Waimate District have been drinking from tanks since August.
Their home water supplies were turned off after the nitrate levels exceeded 11.3mg/l, the maximum acceptable value under national drinking water standards.
Today, 59 residents took samples to the Glenavy Hall to get tested.
Eighty-six percent returned levels over 1mg of nitrate per litre, which research shows starts to increase the risk of bowel cancer.
Sixty-one percent of samples taken returned a reading over 8mg per litre, which increases the risk of bowel cancer by 32%.
One sample came in at 12mg/L.
"Today's samples returned the highest nitrate readings for any town we've discovered," says Greenpeace Senior Campaigner Steve Abel.
"People on the water scheme in Glenavy returned samples consistently over 8mg of nitrate per litre which is concerning."
Many results were received with sadness and anger.
One resident stormed out of the hall in frustration after receiving a high reading, while another said he was "disgusted with it" and called the situation "third world".
The Waimate District Council has proposed a denitrification plant, set to be commissioned mid-2023, which freshwater ecologist Mike Joy describes as "an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff".
Most residents want a solution sooner.
Environment Canterbury says it continues to meet frequently and work closely with Waimate District Council and it's providing technical advice to help inform the next steps relating to improving the water supply and designing the denitrification plant.
High levels of nitrate in the water supply is linked to intensive farming in the area.
ECan says its land management advisors are working directly with farmers offering free advice and support on best practice farming to reduce environmental impacts and, in this catchment, there is a strong focus on supporting the introduction of new nitrogen fertiliser rules, which further restrict the amount of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser that can be applied to pastoral land.
A targeted programme, focusing specifically on this catchment, is also being planned.
Dr Tim Chambers from Otago University is attending a public meeting tonight in the Glenavy Hall to address some concerns the residents have, particularly when it comes to potential health risks of high nitrate levels such as cancers, pre-term births and blue baby syndrome.
"I've come down to try help explain what some of the potential risks are but also to try and help understand what that level of risk is," says Chambers.
"There's still lots of uncertainty around these other conditions so just being able to communicate that and just highlight where the uncertainties are will hopefully help people feel a little bit more at ease about their high nitrate values."
"What we're trying do here is just raise the profile of this problem as a potential public health crisis and make sure that we're getting appropriate answers."
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