‘Dirty’ Water in Darwin

Darwin residents maybe noticing discoloured or ‘dirty’ looking water when they turn on the tap, as the wet season downpours start to taper off.

Other than being disinfected and fluoridated, Darwin enjoys one of the purest water supplies, from an unfiltered, protected catchment area. General Manager, Water Services, Paul Heaton said,

“During the wet season, high rainfall and runoff from the catchment can make the water in the Darwin River Dam a bit coloured or cloudy from fine suspended material.

“This material can make its way into the water system where a reduced flow in pipes allows the material to settle. Once our water use starts to increase during the dry season the material is stirred up and results in this ‘dirty’ appearance.

“Power and Water flushes the pipelines around this time each year to get rid of this sediment as quickly as possible but if you still have discoloured water after a couple of minutes or are concerned in any way please call us on 1800 245 092.”

The water supply and network is continually monitored and tested and despite the appearance of discoloured water, the quality of the water meets public health standards.

In addition to the flushing program, Power and Water is also investigating a range of other procedures to reduce discoloured water in the future.

Contact:
Judie Brennan
Media Manager,
Corporate Communications
Power and Water Corporation
Phone: 08 8985 8481