Groundwater around the site of a 1996 Skyhawk crash is being tested to see if the firefighting foam used could have contaminated the Bulls water supply.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force plane crashed at Kakariki, near Halcombe and north of Bulls, in 1996. The pilot ejected safely and no one was hurt.
But firefighting foam used at the scene more than 20 years ago may be the source of PFAS substances contaminating the Bulls water supply. If not, contamination could have come from landfills, wastewater or industrial activity.
Read more: Crashed Skyhawk likely cause of water contamination in Bulls Rangitikei
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The contamination is at levels well below the Ministry of Health's interim guidelines for drinking water. How it has happened is a mystery.