Scout Hut water safe to drink

With some Raglanites using water from the well at the Scout Hut/ Hall at 49 Cliff St, Raglan as a source of non chlorinated drinking water, the Regional Council (WRC) decided to check out the quality of the water.

WRC scientists took a sample of the water and sent it off to testing experts Hill Laboratories.

When the test data came back, John Hughey an Environmental Monitoring Scientist at WRC said: “The water is very basic with pH at 8.3, high conductivity at 78.5 due to salt water intrusion, dissolved salt high,sodium and chlorides also high. Little bit high in Iron ( not health issue though). Manganese and arsenic are good. Is drinkable although bit of salt in it.”

So the water is safe to drink.

Another finding reported from the sampling indicates there may be something hot under the Scout Hut with Mr Haughey adding, “It was a bit interesting that the temperature kept on going up while waiting for it to settle before sampling. May be some geothermal influence going on there.”

In the past there have been reports of hot springs around Raglan. The book, ‘Around Raglan’ by Robert Vernon says on page 33, “A hot spring was discovered in 1951 near the footbridge to Rangitahi. The spring which is below high water mark, has a strong flow. Many years previously a hot spring was found further up the Opotoru River.”