Indigenous residents in the Northern Territory mining town of Borroloola are calling on the Health Department to blood test families, amid revelations their water supply has been contaminated with lead.
Residents resort to buying bottled water after town camps advised not to drink water supplies Source of contamination under investigation Separate lead contamination incidents detected in 2014 The Territory Government posted notices around the remote community on Thursday, telling residents of the Garawa 1 and Garawa 2 town camps not to drink, cook, or brush their teeth with the water.
It said the government-owned Power and Water Corporation (PWC) was investigating the problem, and would test the water in Garawa again to ensure it was safe to drink.
After enquiries to government by the ABC on Thursday night, the Department of Health released a public statement, confirming routine testing of the Garawa community water supply, near Borroloola, had identified that one sampling point had returned an elevated level of lead.
It’s frightened people all over the region.
Residents not ‘jumping to conclusions’ Indigenous residents have feared lead would show up in their drinking water since 2014, when it was revealed Glencore’s McArthur River Mine lead-zinc operation had contaminated cattle and fish.
Mr Rory said that while residents were not jumping to conclusions until all possible sources for the water contamination had been ruled out, the community wanted the Health Department to start blood testing their children immediately.
Mr Rory and other community leaders have been pushing for blood tests since the mine lead contamination incidents were revealed.
Maybe even me, from drinking this all up," he said.
In a statement, the Department of Health said PWC was undertaking an investigation to determine the cause, but advised the water bore itself did not contain elevated levels of lead and manganese.