As with all water supplies, Gosford's drinking water contains small amounts of naturally occurring minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and manganese. Without these substances your water would taste bland, however they can impact water quality when a change in demand or temperature occurs.

Council conducts regular testing on aesthetic and health criteria to ensure the water meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and is safe for human consumption.

Most of the water quality concerns reported by customers are related to appearance, taste and odour.  

Appearance

Although town drinking water supplies are generally colourless, from time to time the water's colour can change. Sometimes, it can take on a yellow or reddish/brown tint to almost black, while other times it can appear milky white or blue. This is known as discoloured water.

Taste and Odour

The taste and odour of water can vary from tap to tap and can be impacted by naturally occurring minerals, Council treatment processes and internal plumbing. Your own personal likes and dislikes can also influence your perception of taste and odour.

Some of the common taste and odour complaints are listed below.

Chlorine

Council adds chlorine to the water supply at our water filtration plant to remove harmful bacteria and protect water quality. A small residual of chlorine is generally present in your drinking water once it reaches your tap and from time to time you may notice a slight chlorine taste or smell. Council carefully controls and monitors this process to ensure the residual poses no risk to health.

Seasonal changes in demand, your distance from the water filtration plant and unavoidable changes to system operation can impact the degree of chlorine in your water.

You can eliminate the taste and smell of chlorine by placing some water in a covered jug in the refrigerator. It is recommended that you consume this water within 24 hours. Domestic water filters or jug filters are also useful.  

Musty, mouldy or earthy

Musty tastes and odours in your drinking water can be caused by organic growth within water pipes.

Mould and bacteria can breed in your internal plumbing when certain jointing compounds are used for domestic fittings or appliances, or when cold water pipes pass closely to hot water pipes that are not insulated.

Water pipes in areas of the supply system with low flow rates can also create an environment for organic growth.

Rust and metal

Drinking water with a rusty or metallic taste generally contains excessive iron, manganese and other metals. When these materials are present in high levels, you will also notice a change in the colour of your water, this is known as discoloured water.

Council has thorough treatment processes to remove naturally occurring iron and manganese from the water supply. However, as the water moves through the system to your tap, it may pick up material from corroding pipes not lined with cement that may change the taste of your drinking water.

You may also notice a rusty or metallic taste if your internal pipes are corroded. When your house plumbing is corroded, your water may appear clear at first, but then turn rusty or black in a few minutes.

Rotten egg smell

If you notice a rotten egg taste or smell in your water, it most likely contains hydrogen sulfide gas. This is typically caused by decay of organic matter or chemical reactions in your plumbing, or bacteria which change naturally occurring sulfates into hydrogen sulfide. These bacteria can be present in the water supply system, groundwater or hot water systems.

If the smell only comes from your hot water tap, you may have a problem with your hot water system. However, if the smell is strong from your hot and cold water taps when they are first turned on and diminishes after the water has run, the bacteria is probably in the water supply system.

Fluoride

The taste and smell of drinking water does not change as a result of water fluoridation because the type of fluoride used to fluoridate the water supply has no taste or smell.

See also:

Drinking Water Quality
Water Quality 2010
Scheduled water supply works
Your internal plumbing and drinking water quality