A baseline groundwater quality survey of 120 household wells in an unsewered area at Yaldhurst, near Christchurch, was carried out between September and December, 1976. Ammonia‐N levels were below the detection limit (0.02 g m‐3) in all samples. Nitrate‐N, conductivity, and chloride levels tended to vary according to well depth and location, being lower in the deeper wells and in wells located in an area of shallow, stony soils. Approximately 33% of the wells contained coliform bacteria, faecal coliform bacteria or faecal streptococci. A subset of 25 wells was sampled fortnightly from January to August 1977. From January to June, mean nitrate‐N and conductivity levels remained stable at approximately 1.5 g m‐3and 11.2 mS m‐1respectively. An increase in these levels to 3.3 g m‐3and 15.8 mS m‐1in July‐August corresponded with a rise in the water table. Leaching losses from soils probably accounted for most of the nitrate entering the Yaldhurst aquifers, the contribution by septic tank systems being estimated at 20–30%. No direct evidence of contamination of the wells by septic tank effluent was found, although 23 of the 25 wells exhibited intermittent contamination by indicator bacteria throughout the 8 month sampling programme. Although a localised health hazard may exist, septic tank systems in the area were not considered likely to constitute a health threat to the confined aquifers underlying Christchurch city.