Impacted area
The impacted area was within the boundaries of Baden Powell Drive back to the foreshore, between Humphries Road and Violet St.
The water pressure in our Frankston South network dropped due to a faulty valve, which is now fixed. Unusually low or no water pressure can let dirty water and/or sediment into the water pipes. Boiling the water kills any contaminants that might be there.
We issued an advisory while we undertook some testing and investigations to make sure the local tap water was safe to drink.
Precautionary advisory lifted
You no longer need to boil your water and can use your tap water as normal.
We recommend that you flush taps for 5 minutes to draw fresh water into your internal plumbing before returning to normal water usage in your home or business.
Your water may seem different when it first comes out of the tap. If it’s white or cloudy, this is due to air in the pipes. The sediment that was stirred up may even me making it a little brown. It should clear up quickly after flushing, but if not call us on 13 28 12.
If anyone in your household is feeling sick as a result of drinking water, please visit your doctor or local medical centre and advise them of this notice.
We sent email and SMS notifications to customers whose contact details we have in our system. We’re also distributing letters to those we couldn’t reach via SMS or email.
We understand not all customers received our notifications about the Boil Water Advisory. If customers didn’t receive a notification, they can update their contact details through mySouthEastWater, to make sure they receive updates about water and sewerage related emergencies in their area
We’ve flushed our pipes and all water quality sampling results came back clear. This confirms the water is safe to drink.
Melbourne has some of the world’s best drinking water, which we test regularly to ensure it meets strict water quality requirements. We take any reports of suspected water quality issues seriously and investigate them fully.
To apologise for the inconvenience and reimburse you for any bottled water or containers you may have bought, we'll apply a $30 credit to the South East Water account of each affected property in Frankston South. We’ll also supply you with a $60 credit as you were without water for more than 5 hours.
There’s no need to contact us – we’ll apply the credit to your South East Water account on your next water bill, which you’ll receive in late October.
Boil Water Advisory and potential illness
If the water was unsafe, you could have potentially experienced gastro-like symptoms, including diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting, low fever and flatulence.
The illness isn't life-threatening or severe for most people. However, people who are immunosuppressed, and the very young and very old may suffer more serious symptoms and should take extra precautions and be alert to emerging symptoms.
Contact your doctor or general practitioner and let them know about this notice.
Community notifications
If you didn’t receive a notification from us, it’s because we don’t have your mobile number or email address in our system. You can provide us with these at mySouthEastWater or via our contact centre on 13 18 51 (8 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday).