Testing shows no E. coli in city water

Published on 10 April 2025

A new sample of Palmerston North’s drinking water has come back without any trace of E. coli.

On Wednesday afternoon, we were notified that one of our routine tests of our water, taken just outside the Council building, showed a very low presence of E. coli. The level detected in the sample was 2cfu/100mls. Cfu is the measure for bacteria. Today, the level is <1cfu/100mls, meaning no E. coli was detected.

All other water quality tests taken at different sites this week have returned normal results.

Deputy Chief Executive, Chris Dyhrberg says while the initial sample caused some concern, it is also a good example of our processes working the way they should.

“Even though this result was very low, it still could’ve indicated possible contamination, which is why we acted decisively to let our community know.”

He says that we will continue to investigate the cause of the sample result, but it is highly likely to be a result of the rainy and windy conditions on the day it was taken, which may have contaminated the sample, causing a false positive result.

“Though it seems this test was just an anomaly, follow up tests will continue to be carried out around the city over the next few days to make sure all of our water continues to be safe to drink. We’re proud to have some of the highest quality drinking water in the country. To maintain this, we test the water regularly in accordance with the water quality assurance rules set by the water regulator, Taumata Arowai.”