Council monitors the quality of drinking water throughout the system, from the catchment to your tap. Monitoring, analysis and modelling enable us to identify, prioritise and assess the effectiveness of works within the Water Quality 2010 program.  

Sampling program

A key part of Water Quality 2010 is our water quality sampling activities, which go beyond the ongoing compliance sampling program.

 The Water Quality 2010 sampling program comprises three main aspects:

1. Extensive monitoring of operational performance throughout the water treatment process to identify process issues and optimise treatment plant performance.
2. Short-term water chemistry studies of the distribution system to detect any water quality issues, and identify and prioritise works to address these issues. Parameters for these studies include Lead, Aluminium, Organic Carbon, Chlorine and Iron.
3. Monitoring the effectiveness of Water Quality 2010 activities to ensure the success of future works.

Monitoring equipment

Council intends to install a range of monitoring equipment in the system during Water Quality 2010. These include:

1. Flow meters installed throughout the system to provide hydraulic information, which can improve our water supply system model for more accurate water quality modelling.
2. Multi-parameter water quality monitoring equipment in key system locations to provide early warning of water quality issues and provide on-line water quality data. Parameters may include Chlorine, pH, Turbidity, Conductivity, Temperature and Flow.
3. Portable monitoring equipment, including Iron, Chlorine and multi-parameter equipment, to facilitate water quality investigations at individual properties.

Modelling

Council has undertaken water quality modelling to study velocities in water mains, the age of water from the treatment plant to your tap, and detention time in system reservoirs. This helps to identify areas of the water supply system that operate poorly and to assess the effectiveness of system augmentation options to ensure the most cost-effective solutions are implemented.

Discoloured Water Investigation

In April 2008, Council implemented a Discoloured Water Investigation to help us better understand and address water quality issues in the region. With the community's assistance, important information was collected on water quality incidents in homes and businesses throughout the region.   

The Investigation has now ceased and results are being analysed in conjunction with other system data to help guide Council's ongoing maintenance of the water supply system.

Council crews continue to collect water samples at locations of individual water quality complaints for analysis where appropriate.

Water Quality Report

To ensure you receive good quality drinking water that meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, Council monitors and tests water quality at every stage of the supply system. 

The quality of tap water is monitored weekly by collecting samples at 24 sites throughout the system on a 3-week roster. All samples are tested by Council and independent laboratories registered with the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA).

Our Annual Drinking Water Quality Report provides a summary of the parameters tested as part of Council's monitoring process.  

2008/09 Drinking Water Quality Report.

2007/08 Drinking Water Quality Report.

See also:

Drinking Water Quality
Understanding your drinking water
Water Quality 2010