A report by the Canterbury Regional Council, has turned attention to pesticide contamination of New Zealand’s groundwaters. The first nation-wide residue testing found 11% of wells contaminated. Residues of atrazine, 2,4,5-T, 2,4-D, diazinon, chlorpyrifos, pirimifos-methyl, procymidone and unspecified organochlorines and organophosphates were found. Concerned about possible groundwater contamination, the New Zealand publication Soil & Health surveyed local councils for information on their soil and water. The results showed that most councils do not know what pesticides are in their groundwater, except for Taranaki and Bay of Plenty. Canterbury appears to be the only regional council that has carried out groundwater testing on an ongoing basis.
Soil & Health, Feb-Mar 1994.
[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 23, March 1994, page 17]