Measuring water quality

We have a comprehensive program for managing and monitoring your drinking water to make sure it’s high quality, safe to drink and meets these state and federal regulations and guidelines:

We’ve upgraded our water quality checker so you can look up water quality testing locations and results in your area.  

To use the tool, click on the location you want to view and scroll down to view the data below the map.  

Treatment

Melbourne Water treats and disinfects your drinking water as needed before supplying it to us, so that it’s safe for you to drink and is of the highest quality.   This generally includes these processes:

  • Water sourced from unprotected catchments is filtered to remove particles and sediment.
  • Chlorine is added as a disinfectant. This process kills nuisance microorganisms that might cause disease or grow in the network, such as pathogens and infectious bacteria. 
    Melbourne Water states that the amount of chlorine added varies but is typically less than 2 milligrams per litre (0.0002%), or 2 grains of sugar in a cup of water.
  • Adding fluoride to help prevent tooth decay.  
  • Adjusting pH levels to make it slightly less acidic and to help prevent household pipes and fittings from corroding. 

To learn more visit Drinking water treatment | Melbourne Water. 

Smell or taste chlorine? It’s easy to remove.

Fill a jug with water and put it in your fridge. The chlorine will naturally dissipate from the water after a few hours.  

Sampling, testing and monitoring

We monitor the safety and quality of your drinking water 24 hours a day. This monitoring starts when it’s first transferred from Melbourne Water to us.

Sampling and testing

Over 13,000 samples are collected and analysed each year by an independent laboratory, using over 1,000 dedicated sample taps across our system. 

Tests are performed for hundreds of water quality parameters including colour, hardness, turbidity (how clear the water looks) and PFAS levels, as well as for pathogens like E. coli and for minerals and metals such as copper, lead and manganese. 

My water seems different

If we’re doing maintenance work on our water pipes or there’s a fault, you might notice temporary changes to your water supply. Find out what to do if your water looks, smells or tastes different than usual.   

Real-time monitoring

Our testing units across our supply network monitor 24/7 for a range of water quality parameters and alert us to changes in real time. We also use drones to inspect our tank and storage systems.   

All this means that when you turn on a tap, or press go on your dishwasher, you can be sure that everything’s as it should be. 

You can learn more about how we monitor your drinking water in our Annual Drinking Water Quality Report.  

Advice on lead

The Australian Government’s Environmental Health Standing Committee (enHealth) issued a guidance statement in 2021 about lead in drinking water from some plumbing products.

It describes how lead can dissolve into drinking water from some brass plumbing fittings, especially when they’ve been in contact with water for a long time.

Although enHealth says there’s no need to have your water tested for lead, here are its tips for reducing potential exposure to lead in drinking water:

  • Only use water from cold water taps for drinking and cooking.

Flush cold water taps used for drinking and cooking: 

  • for about 30 seconds first thing in the morning to draw fresh water through the tap. 
  • for about 2 to 3 minutes if they haven’t been used for a long time, such as when you return from a holiday. (You can use this water for washing up or watering plants). 

When renovating or building, choose plumbing products that are:

  •     certified to WaterMark and AS/NZS 4020:2005
  •     have low-lead content or are lead free. 

Water quality checker

Use our handy tool to view up-to-date water quality test results in your area.

Water quality fact sheets