Where is the best tasting tap water in Australia?

[bob10]

Where to get the best-tasting tap water in Australia | The New Daily (http://thenewdaily.com.au/life/2016/02/24/best-tasting-tap-water-australia/)

[Toxic_Avenger]

Well I'm glad they're journalists, not scientists.
Rookie mistake.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106121&stc=1&d=1456390921

[Eevo]

you drink pure h2o for a month and you will die.

[weeds]

Every tap....

[loanrangie]

Adelaide has to be bottom of that list , closely followed by Bendigo.
Melbourne tap water is good and i'd imagine Tassie to have good tap water - dont remember it being bad.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using AULRO mobile app

[bob10]

you drink pure h2o for a month and you will die.

So those of us who survived on tank water, out in the bush, should all be dead?

[Eevo]

So those of us who survived on tank water, out in the bush, should all be dead?

rain tank?
rain water isnt pure water. has lots of impurities, which ironically, are keeping you alive.

[bob10]

rain tank?
rain water isnt pure water. has lots of impurities, which ironically, are keeping you alive.

Ok, I can understand that. But, those who use those filters, etc?

[Eevo]

Ok, I can understand that. But, those who use those filters, etc?

na, plenty of impurities there too.
even the distilled water you get still has heaps in it.

pure water which only comes from the science lab has no salts in it.

[bob10]

na, plenty of impurities there too.
even the distilled water you get still has heaps in it.

pure water which only comes from the science lab has no salts in it.

SO, what about the water we drank, on steam ships, where the water had to be pure enough for the boilers, which no doubt you know, has to be spot on, didn't hurt us.

[rocket scientist]

I'm lucky to have rain water, but the tap water in Melbourne isn't too bad although you have to try hard to sample it.
No water bubblers to be found anywhere.:mad:
And I imagine the other cities are the same. You would think we are in some third world country where the water is not fit for drinking.
They spend millions of dollars getting the water to the quality it is then force people to buy that bottled crap.

[bob10]

I'm lucky to have rain water, but the tap water in Melbourne isn't too bad although you have to try hard to sample it.
No water bubblers to be found anywhere.:mad:
And I imagine the other cities are the same. You would think we are in some third world country where the water is not fit for drinking.
They spend millions of dollars getting the water to the quality it is then force people to buy that bottled crap.

Not here. There are at least 6 water bubblers in the main street of down town Sandgate.

[Eevo]

SO, what about the water we drank, on steam ships, where the water had to be pure enough for the boilers, which no doubt you know, has to be spot on, didn't hurt us.

that water wouldnt of been distilled either. it would be very clean but not distilled to purity.

Distilled water, when it comes into contact with air, it absorbs carbon dioxide, making it acidic. The more distilled water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes.


According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Distilled water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact. Notably, carbon dioxide from the air is rapidly absorbed, making the water acidic and even more aggressive. Many metals are dissolved by distilled water."

[Eevo]

Drinking distilled water robs your body of its natural source for many minerals essential to good health. This results in mineral loss in the body with increases your risk for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, hypertension, coronary artery disease and premature aging.


The WHO and others studied the use of distilled water and found that because it is stripped of all minerals it can cause electrolyte imbalances in your body. Your body will leach electrolytes from your tissues in order to add them to the mineral free water you are drinking. This is necessary so that your body can function normally and eliminate waste. If the water redistribution process in your body is not functioning properly, you may experience fatigue, weakness, headache, muscle cramps and an abnormal heart rate.

some more stuff.

[Xtreme]

I find the Warragamba 2016 a pretty tasty drop. :D; ;)

[bob10]

I think it is becoming obvious that the chances of humans drinking pure distilled water are very remote, unless of course, you work in a lab. Water absorbs minerals and impurities from the moment it's formed.

[squizzyhunter]

I would have to say Melbourne!
Worst = Adelaide, Armidale(NSW) and Philip Island

I havent been to Tassie but hear that a good one too

[Eevo]

whats wrong with adelaide water????:confused:

[squizzyhunter]

whats wrong with adelaide water????:confused:

Only on taste alone I hated it, tasted like chlorine. It may be good quality but I just didn't like the taste

[Eevo]

taste fine to me :)

[gusthedog]

A big issue with water is that the WHO standards, that we use in Australia, state that potable water has to have a certain percentage of chlorine in it. Chlorine only lasts about a week before it breaks down but it controls nasties quite well. If you knew about the nasties in tank water, you'd use a filter. Especially in areas where wood heating is common. Also, don't take the chance of cleaning out your own water tank as it can kill you. I love town water personally :D

[bob10]

Just about anything is better than bore water.

[vnx205]

.... .... ....
Also, don't take the chance of cleaning out your own water tank as it can kill you

Do you mean you will die of shock at the sight of all the sediment and the number of skeletons in the bottom of the tank :p or is there some OH&S issue?

When I cleaned the inside of my rainwater tank in Narrabri in preparation for sealing all the minor leaks, it was uncomfortable, but I didn't realise it was life threatening.

[gusthedog]

Just about anything is better than bore water.

Coca Cola products are all made from bore water in Kinglake. The water is such high quality they don't need to treat it much.

Pricey

[vnx205]

The quality or taste of bore water does vary a lot.

When I was working on a cotton farm at Merah North, west of Wee Waa, the bore water used to irrigate the cotton was quite pleasant to drink. It was vastly better than the Narrabri town water supply was when the river water needed to be topped up with bore water in times of drought.

[gusthedog]

Do you mean you will die of shock at the sight of all the sediment and the number of skeletons in the bottom of the tank :p or is there some OH&S issue?

When I cleaned the inside of my rainwater tank in Narrabri in preparation for sealing all the minor leaks, it was uncomfortable, but I didn't realise it was life threatening.

Water tanks can grow moulds and algae that let off toxic substances according to my brother in law. He cleans water tanks on the mines and a couple of blokes have died around Kalgoorlie from going into them. But I'm not sure it's that dangerous with home tanks. But you don't need to go into them to clean them unless they're really manky. Seriously, unless you have a completely sealed home system and regularly clean your roof and gutters, rain tanks can be pretty nasty.

Pricey

[vnx205]

.... .... ....
. But you don't need to go into them to clean them unless they're really manky. Seriously, unless you have a completely sealed home system and regularly clean your roof and gutters, rain tanks can be pretty nasty.

Pricey

In my case, I needed to seal a lot of tiny rust holes that had developed in the walls of the tank.

I needed to clean off the loose rust and dirt on the inside so that I could paint it with a product that I think was called Silasec, was mixed with a bit of cement and sand, and applied with a broad brush.

By the time I finished wire brushing the wall, I could see daylight in about a hundred places.

The accumulated muck in the bottom was well below the outlet, so I didn't do anything about it.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Water tanks can grow moulds and algae that let off toxic substances according to my brother in law. He cleans water tanks on the mines and a couple of blokes have died around Kalgoorlie from going into them. But I'm not sure it's that dangerous with home tanks. But you don't need to go into them to clean them unless they're really manky. Seriously, unless you have a completely sealed home system and regularly clean your roof and gutters, rain tanks can be pretty nasty.

Pricey

I woudl have thought gases from decomposing plant matter etc, confined space, asphyxiation...

If you had a copper roof with lead soldered joints or flashing or something, I'd think the toxic thing might hold water

Then again, mine water might the be sludge that they pump from underground... I've heard that a shovel will rust in half in that stuff overnight...

[Bushie]

Water out of Woronora Dam is pretty good, it was the only area that wasn't required to boil water during the 1997 Crypto/Giardia outbreak.

The guys that were building the filtration plant at the dam in the late 90s couldn't work out why they were doing it. In their opinion the water going into the plant was better quality than they get out of the filtration plants in Europe.

Water from the bore at 3 O'clock creek on the edge of the Simpson is pretty good as well.


Martyn

[bob10]

Coca Cola products are all made from bore water in Kinglake. The water is such high quality they don't need to treat it much.

Pricey

When we go to Karumba, we make sure we take our own water. Not sure Coca Cola is such a good example.

[Narangga]

Just about anything is better than bore water.

Bores on the north coast of Arnhem Land produce the best drinking water you could ask for Bob.

In Nhulunbuy it is run through an aerator and then straight into the taps. DELICIOUS.

[bob10]

Bores on the north coast of Arnhem Land produce the best drinking water you could ask for Bob.

In Nhulunbuy it is run through an aerator and then straight into the taps. DELICIOUS.

Great. How's things at McMinns? Been to Gove, a few times. Didn't drink any water though. I think it was green cans. The local constables always gave us a lift back to the wharf, glad to get rid of us I think.

[EastFreo]

About 20 years ago an excavator cleaning up a dam near my grandmothers farm house accidentally also dug up pipes which sent dam and rain water water via tanks up on a hill down to respectively feed garden and house water.

To cut a long sorry short my grandmother passed away and then the house became a weekender. took quite a few years and then a very dry summer before we realised the pipes had been crossed. Eventually at that point even I had to concede the colour of the water was not due to old rusty pipes!

Amusingly in that time many people said my home brew (using quality dam water unwittingly) was the best ever plus also friends used to take bottles of our water back to Perth thinking it was rain water. Goes to show that in the right places we can be too precious about our water.

Also the house we lived in as a kid on a different property was fed from a spring from the side of a hill which gravity filled an old concrete tank. It is still used today by one of our employees. That is probably my favourite tasting water of all.

[gusthedog]

When we go to Karumba, we make sure we take our own water. Not sure Coca Cola is such a good example.

You know how much bottled water Coca-Cola Amatil make? Pump, never fail, Mt Franklin and Peats Ridge. All Kinglake bore water ;)

Pricey

[bob10]

You know how much bottled water Coca-Cola Amatil make? Pump, never fail, Mt Franklin and Peats Ridge. All Kinglake bore water ;)

Pricey

Well, that's news to me. Have to admit, I've never bought a bottle of water yet, doubt I ever will. Kinglake must have a very pure aquifer , I'm sure the water is excellent quality. And tastes great.
However, my experience of bore water is somewhat different. I believe it depends on the aquifer, where it is situated, what industry is in the area, [ ie, what may leach into the aquifer]. A short explanation ;


Bore water can be naturally contaminated by minerals, chemicals, bacteria and viruses. However, human activity usually has the greatest impact upon shallow ground water quality as a result of:

Excessive or inappropriate use of fertilizers, animal manures, pesticides and insecticides;
Poorly maintained septic tanks and other liquid waste disposal systems;
Leaking fuel and chemical tanks;
Intensive agriculture, industry or mining;
Leaching from waste disposal areas; and
Accidental spills of chemicals.
Are all Bore Water Contaminants a Health Risk?

Some contaminants are simply a nuisance as they cause a stain, smell or discoloration. An example of this can be found in some metropolitan areas where iron oxide leaches out of the soil causing a red brown stain on walls and footpaths.

Other contaminants such as nitrate, arsenic, pesticides and petroleum products are of health concern, particularly if bore water is used for drinking or watering vegetables.

What is the Best Way to use Bore Water?

The safest way to use bore water is to irrigate the garden, flush toilets, wash cars and clothes.

Bore water should never be used for drinking, bathing, filling swimming and paddling pools, food preparation or cooking unless it has been professionally tested and treated.

[bob10]

[QUOTE=gusthedog All Kinglake bore water ;)

Pricey[/QUOTE]

If you open the link on this page, " Australia, in the line of fire", AlJazeera , part of the article focuses on Kinglake West. An interview with Karen Barrow, CFA Kinglake West, gives an idea what it was like during the fires. A terrible time. I sincerely hope you & your family were spared the worst of it.

[Narangga]

Up until they moved the factory from its original location in Norwood, Woodroofe's used a natural spring located under the factory in all their soft drinks.

[Narangga]

Great. How's things at McMinns? Been to Gove, a few times. Didn't drink any water though. I think it was green cans. The local constables always gave us a lift back to the wharf, glad to get rid of us I think.

Quite hot at the moment Bob. El Nino still active so only one Madden-Julian Oscillation event (monsoon trough), in the last half of December, so far this Wet. Less than half the long term average in Jan and Feb so we are about 400mm behind long term average to date.

Many in the rural area are on bores, but like the rest of the Top End the water quality is excellent. However our place has town water servicing the house so we we drink from Darwin River Dam.