February 26, 2014
South Burnett Regional Council is confident Kingaroy’s water supply will get the “all clear” soon following recent tests of the supply.
On January 22, Council alerted pregnant women to the presence of elevated levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) in the Kingaroy water supply and advised them not to drink the water.
This warning is still in place despite the switch of supply from Gordonbrook Dam to Boondooma Dam as it takes time to flush the system.
SBRC General Manager Infrastructure Russell Hood told southburnett.com.au today Council had been conducting weekly tests at six points in Kingaroy to measure THM levels.
The latest test indicated levels were now below the maximum level recommended in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG).
The ADWG guidelines recommend that THM levels in drinking water should not exceed 250 micrograms/litre however concentrations of 1000 micrograms/litre for short periods are unlikely to pose a serious health risk.
Mr Hood said the THM level when the alert was issued was between 400 and 500 micrograms per litre.
The latest tests showed this had now dropped to below 200 micrograms/litre.
He said Council would now complete two more tests. If the results of these tests were still below the recommended maximum level, Council would approach Queensland Health on Wednesday or Thursday next week to issue the “all clear”.
THMs are a by-product of the disinfecting process of reticulated water. They are created when chlorine is added to the water.
However, not adding chlorine – which kills bacteria – would pose a far greater risk to consumers.
The ADWG states: “Action to reduce THMs is encouraged, but must not compromise disinfection, as non-disinfected water poses significantly greater risk than THMs.”
Mr Hood said Council had an allocation to receive water from Boondooma Dam until June when it would be renegotiated.
- Australian Drinking Water Guidelines – updated Dec 2013 (5Mb PDF – this is a large file)
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