Allconnex Water will notify customers of any water quality issues as soon as we become aware of them.

Customers who use large quantities of water or who are highly dependent on water, such as dialysis patients and businesses, are notified directly. Other customers are notified via community announcements and our website.

If you think you have an issue with your water quality we ask that you call us on 1300 000 WATER
(1300 000 928) or visit our website.

Our comprehensive monitoring and maintenance program ensures our customers and consumers enjoy the highest quality water. However, external factors can sometimes alter water quality causing:

• chemical disposal in your home
• discoloured water
• algal bloom
• white water
• blue water

Various chemicals and substances commonly used around the home or in the yard can penetrate polyethylene drinking water service lines. This can contaminate your water supply and cause a noticeable strong taste and/or odour in your water.

These service lines are to Australian standards and run to your home from the pipeline in the street. Accidental or deliberate spilling of chemicals in your yard can result in leaching of these chemicals through soil and permeation through polyethylene pipes into your water supply.

Due to the strong taste and odour, in most cases, the water will become unacceptable to drink prior to the level of chemicals in the water becoming a health concern.

There is still a chance that your family’s health may be affected by consuming the contaminated drinking water. If you are concerned, please contact Queensland Health.

Find out more about inappropriate disposal of chemicals around your home.

Discoloured water

Discoloured water looks brown or muddy and can stain when washing. It is an irregular occurrence caused mainly by the natural element, manganese.

While water may look brown, it will not cause people to become ill if consumed. Manganese levels up to 0.5 mg/L are safe to drink. If you receive brown water, generally it will maintain manganese levels of less than 0.5 mg/L – and is therefore safe to drink.

Manganese collects on the inside of pipes. During times of high demand or changes in flow, these films can loosen, causing water to appear stained or dirty. We prevent the problem at our water treatment plants and undertake substantial flushing of the pipe system in affected areas.

If discoloured water is present, it can stain clothes when washing. We provide stain remover to customers whose washing has been affected by the dirty water. During times of discoloured water we suggest residents delay washing clothes. If this is not possible, we recommend:

• running some water into the machine to check the water colour before washing clothes.
• check the water colour before the washing machine reaches the rinse cycle – as it is at this stage that clothes can be stained.

Blue-green algae (or cynobacteria) is responsible for many of the algal blooms in waterways during the past few years. Blue-green algae feeds on nutrients washed into waterways, or from nutrients released from sediments.

Algal blooms are likely to form when:

• the water is relatively still.
• nutrients levels are high.
• temperatures remain warm.
• after a period of high rainfall that results in nutrients being washed from the catchment into the dam.

Our technology is highly effective in treating water affected by a bloom, making it safe and palatable to drink.

In bloom situations, carbon is injected into the raw water to remove the taste of algae, which is described as musty or earthy. If the bloom species is found to be toxic, other techniques, such as a combination of flocculation, filtration, chlorination and activated carbon are used to inactivate the toxin.

Milky or cloudy appearance is usually due to tiny air bubbles in the water. This can occur when air is trapped in the pipes after they have been repaired, or if carbon dioxide is released by the sudden reduction in pressure with a tap discharging.

Air in water is harmless and a glass of white water will quickly clear.

Blue water may have a cloudy, blue tinged appearance. It can taste bitter and metallic.

In most cases it comes from copper pipe that has not been used for some time and has become slightly corroded.

Blue or green water may contain high levels of copper and should not be used for drinking or food preparation.

While blue water is potentially serious, the solution is simple. Flush the affected taps for one to two minutes before use. Testing shows that within seconds of flushing, copper levels drop to well below guideline limits.