Several Waikato schools remained closed on Monday after the discovery of E. coli bacteria in the region’s water supply, forcing more than 4000 students to stay home and prompting discussions about returning to distance learning if the situation doesn’t improve soon.
The contamination was detected on Saturday in the Rototuna Reservoir, which supplies about 12,000 properties across North East Hamilton, Gordonton, and Puketaha in the Waikato District. Around 30,000 residents have been advised to boil tap water before using it for drinking, cooking, preparing baby formula, or brushing teeth, RNZ reported.
The outbreak disrupted the first day back to school after the holidays, with eight schools unable to open due to safety concerns. Endeavour School principal Geoff Booth told Checkpoint that if classes could not resume by Wednesday, they might reintroduce a “distance learning programme,” similar to the system used during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
“If we don’t get the all-clear tomorrow and have to close for a few more days, we’ll look at implementing distance learning so students can continue their education from home,” Booth said, as quoted by RNZ.
Hamilton City Council said its latest two water samples had come back clear of E. coli, but the precautionary boil-water notice would remain in effect for Rototuna until three consecutive tests show no contamination.
Maire Porter, Director of the Council’s Three Waters Unit, said investigations were ongoing but so far had found “nothing of note” at the reservoir, RNZ reported.
“We’ve undertaken a number of inspections across our network and particularly at the reservoir. Nothing unusual has been identified so far,” Porter said. “We’re also checking all hatches, gates, and doors to ensure everything is secure,” RNZ quoted.
She added that residents should continue to boil water for at least two minutes before use, even though the detected E. coli levels were very low.
“We returned a test of one MPN per 100 millilitres, just at the detection limit,” Porter said. “We’ve taken a precautionary approach to protect our most vulnerable community members,” quoted RNZ.
The reservoir is fed by the Waiora Treatment Plant, which has not shown any signs of contamination. Officials are reviewing water quality records and inspecting other parts of the network as part of the ongoing inquiry.
The Ministry of Education said individual school boards and early learning service managers would decide whether to reopen, depending on their ability to maintain safe hygiene and drinking water standards.
Affected schools have been encouraged to stay in contact with the Hamilton City Council for updates and guidance. Parents and whānau have been asked to check school websites or social media pages for closure notices, RNZ reported.
Porter said the council expects to issue another update on Wednesday, once the third round of test results is available.
“We’ll get the information to the schools and the Ministry of Education as soon as possible so they can make informed decisions,” she said, as quoted by RNZ.
Until then, thousands of Waikato families are preparing for the possibility of a return to online learning, not because of a pandemic this time, but due to contaminated drinking water.
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