Maintaining high water quality
Across our region, we’re committed to maintaining high quality water. We follow strict guidelines to manage our water supply and catchments. We regularly test and monitor our water.
The majority of water we supply is drinking water. It meets the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act 2003. This means that water from your taps is safe to drink and use.
Regulated water areas
We also supply regulated water to some areas. Regulated water is water that’s been legally declared non-drinkable. It’s not safe for humans to drink or otherwise consume, but it can be used for animal stock and irrigation.
Areas we supply regulated water to are:
- Bostocks Creek
- Bungador
- Carlisle River
- Carpendeit
- Cobrico
- Darlington
- Elingamite
- Garvoc
- Purrumbete
- South Cudgee
To learn about non-drinking water, its uses and who can access it, see non-drinking water
For more about our commitment to water quality, see our Zero Harm Policy
Water treatment, testing and quality
Water treatment
We treat water in various ways. The treatment method depends on where the water has come from – we refer to this as the ‘system of supply’.
We use 10 different treatment processes depending on what’s required. For more detail on these processes and to understand what’s used at your local water treatment plant, see Water treatment processes.
After treatment, all water is reticulated through storage tanks and pipes before it’s delivered to our customers.
Fluoride in the local water
We add fluoride to our drinking water to prevent dental decay. This is directed by the Victorian Government and endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
The addition of fluoride to our drinking water is carefully controlled and monitored. It doesn’t change its taste, smell or colour.
Fluoride is added to an optimum dosage of one part per million (1 milligram per litre), as required by the NHMRC.
- Water supplies in Warrnambool, Allansford, Koroit, Hamilton, Dunkeld, Tarrington, Camperdown, Lismore, Derrinallum and along the Camperdown rural pipeline all have fluoride added.
- The Victorian Department of Health has directed us to fluoridate the water at the Terang Water Treatment Plant (WTP). This means Terang WTP customers (Terang, Noorat, Glenormiston and Mortlake) can expect to receive fluoridated water in 2024.
- The bore water in Portland and Port Fairy contains naturally occurring fluoride.
- Other supply areas are not currently connected to a fluoridated supply.
More information about water fluoridation is available from the Victorian Department of Health .
Operational monitoring
After treatment, we test our water again to make sure treatment has been effective.
We monitor disinfection by-products and quality properties (refer to these above). This tells us how effective our treatments are and whether we need to fix any operational issues.
We make sure our treated water meets the health standards in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 201
Water testing
As required by the Department of Health, we regularly test all the water in our region – from source water and treatment plants to your tap water.
Keen to know where the water in your taps comes from? See Where your water comes from
To understand how water is treated at your local water treatment plant, see Water treatment processes.
Risk-to-health testing
We treat, test and monitor your water to make sure it’s safe to drink and use.
Microbial tests
We do microbial tests to detect water contaminated by human or animal excrement. This is the most common health risk for drinking water.
The disease-causing (pathogenic) microorganisms we’re concerned about include bacteria, viruses and protozoa. We test for:
- Escherichia coli (E. coli) – this is a coliform that specifically indicates human or animal wastewater contamination
- Other coliforms – that detect other disease-causing bacteria.
Organic and inorganic chemical monitoring
We monitor water for metals, radionuclides, hydrocarbons, herbicides, pesticides and a range of disinfection by-products from water treatment. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011 specify the limits for human health.
Testing taste, odour and appearance
We monitor water for taste, colour and appearance. We measure for quality properties such as:
- pH – how acidic or alkaline it is
- Turbidity – whether there are particles that cause cloudiness
- Hardness – water with a high mineral content
- Colour – water affected by particles.
We also monitor chemicals in source water, which can affect what the water looks like. We also monitor for algae, which can affect taste and odour.
Is there something unexpected in your water? For some common concerns and what you can do about them, look at the Unusual taste, odour or appearance tab above.
Contamination barriers
To make sure drinking water is safe and looks and tastes good, we need to reduce the likelihood of contaminants in the system.
We use barriers to help prevent contaminants getting in. Then we treat the water to remove any contaminants that do get in.
A multi-barrier approach
We use multiple barriers so that if one barrier fails, it can be compensated by the others.
Our barriers include:
- Managing catchments and protecting source water
- Detaining water in protected reservoirs and storages
- Managing our extraction processes – the ways we get water from catchments and water sources
- Disinfecting water
- Maintaining the distribution system.
Unusual taste, odour or appearance
Noticed something strange in your water? Occasionally, you may come across water that doesn’t look, smell or taste like you expect.
To know it’s safe, check the list below to discover causes and effects, and find out if there’s anything you can do about it.
Why this happens
Across Australia, chlorine is added to drinking water to kill unwanted micro-organisms, like E. coli and coliforms.
It’s not common to taste or smell chlorine, but if you can, it’s likely because the chlorine has reacted with organic matter in the source water. This can happen in our reticulation system or your pipes. This sometimes happens after a scheduled maintenance flush. In most cases, this chlorine concentration is low (less than one part per million) and will go away quickly.
What you can do
To reduce the chlorine concentration enough so you won’t notice it, you can either:
- Sit the water in the fridge in an open jug for a short period before drinking, or
- Install a household filter on your tap.
Why this happens
Brown or muddy-looking water is generally caused by sediment in the pipes. There can be two causes of this:
- A general scheduled flushing program. This is to clear any sediment build-up or discolouration in the water mains near your property.
- A burst water main close to your property. Generally these are unexpected, and our maintenance team responds as soon as possible to restore services.
What you can do
If you notice a burst pipe or your water suddenly slows or shuts off, call our 24-hour emergency number <1300 926 666> and report the location.
If your water is discoloured, run a tap for a minute or two to draw fresh water through your pipes.
Why this happens
An earthy or musty smell in water can be the result of a build-up of sediment and organic matter in our network or in the internal plumbing at your property.
This matter might be seasonal compounds – such as Geosmin and Methylisoborneol (MIB) or cyanobacteria (commonly known as blue-green algae).
- Geosmin and MIB are naturally occurring compounds in soil. Though harmless, they can cause a very strong, unpleasant taste and smell. People who are particularly sensitive may be able to detect the odour even at extremely low levels.
- The optimal conditions for blue-green algae to flourish are hot weather, high nutrient levels and slow-flowing water in rivers and reservoirs.
We regularly monitor our water storages for these compounds. If the levels rise higher than usual, we work to resolve the issue. For example, we may change the source of the water, adjust the treatment process or flush our network. We’ll let you know if the situation could be ongoing.
What you can do
Despite the smell and odour, the water is still safe to drink and complies with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. You can run one of your taps for a few minutes to flush any older water through your pipes.
If you find the water too unpleasant, a jug-type filter will help.
Why this happens
If water gets air in it, the concentration of thousands of tiny air bubbles causes a cloudy or milky-white appearance.
Air can get into water randomly – a pocket of air may get trapped in the pipework inside your home – or it can happen following maintenance work to our pipe network.
If this happens, water may splutter out of the tap, caused by trapped air in the pipe.
What you can do
Cloudy water is quite normal and harmless, and the problem should clear if you run the tap for a few minutes. Cloudy water in a glass can take several minutes to clear, and does so from the bottom up.
Why this happens
If your water is an orange/brown colour when you first run your tap, but clears after a short period, or if it tastes metallic and bitter, this usually indicates high levels of iron or copper.
Both can leach into your water from corroded pipes. Corrosion can happen when the plumbing is old, particularly with cast iron or copper pipes. In some instances, it can only take a small length of pipe to produce the discolouration.
What you can do
In some cases, running your taps for about 30 seconds to draw fresh water through may resolve the issue. However, corrosion can cause leaks and even burst pipes. Talk to a plumber for advice.
Why this happens
If you detect a septic and/or rotten egg odour, it’s more likely to be coming from your drain than your tap or drinking water.
Over time, organic matter – such as hair, soap and food waste – can accumulate on the walls of a drain. If bacteria grow on this, the bacteria produces gas. When water from the tap runs over the drain, the smell of the gas is released.
What you can do
Rinse your drain with a strong disinfectant bleach. This should get rid of the smell.
Why this happens
The term ‘hardness’ in water refers to the level of natural mineral deposits in the water. These deposits come from rocks and soils in water catchments.
We can detect hardness by measuring calcium carbonate in water in milligrams per litre (mg/L). According to the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011:
- ‘Soft water’ has calcium carbonate less than 60 mg/L
- ‘Hard water’ has calcium carbonate measuring higher than 200 mg/L.
Our supplies range from an average of 14 mg/L in towns supplied by a surface water catchment to 440 mg/L in towns where the water is sourced from a bore supply.
What you can do
To know if your water is hard, try to lather soap. If it doesn’t lather up, your water is hard. If it lathers easily, it’s soft.
When hard water is heated, the minerals in it come out and are deposited as scale. This can affect kettles, hot water services, dishwashers, pipes and fittings.
Scale is harmless, but over time it builds up. Keeping hot water systems below 60 degrees Celsius is the most common way to reduce the build-up of scale. More information is available in our Water hardness fact sheet.
Why this happens
Sudden changes in your water pressure could be due to planned or emergency work in your local area. Normal water pressure will be restored when the work is complete.
What you can do
If your pressure is regularly low there may be other causes. Talk to a plumber for advice.
PFAS-related chemicals and your drinking water
PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) are a group of manufactured chemicals that have been widely used in industrial and consumer products since the 1950s.
PFAS are emerging contaminants that can persist for a long time in humans and in the environment. They are commonly found in and around populated areas throughout Australia and internationally. There is far more PFAS found in other products compared to water supplies, such as in non-stick pans, sunscreen, raincoats and makeup.
To ensure the safety of drinking water and provide a basis for determining its quality across Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has developed the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG). Water utilities routinely conduct a range of tests to ensure drinking water quality complies with these guidelines.
Following recent changes to international guidelines and an independent review, the NHMRC has updated the guidelines on how much PFAS a person can consume on a daily basis without risk to their health.
The updated ADWG suggest lowering the acceptable levels of three types of PFAS, and a new level for one type. Public consultation on these guidelines is now open.
Following concerns with PFAS contamination of groundwater at the CFA training centre at Penshurst in 2015, we now test our drinking water supplies for PFAS-related chemicals at both Penshurst and Caramut every three months.
All results available to date show the drinking water supplied by us in both towns is safe to drink under both the current and proposed guidelines.
While the risk profile for our other drinking water supplies across the region is extremely low, we are being proactive and are testing all our supplies for PFAS-related chemicals on an annual basis. We’re confident that our supplies are safe but we want to provide that reassurance to our customers as well. Results from our first round of testing, completed in July 2024, show all our drinking water supplies are safe under both the current and proposed guidelines.
Learn more about our water quality and testing program by reading our Annual Water Quality Report below.
