Local water guide
What's in Canberra's water?
Canberra's tap water is treated to a high standard and safe to drink. That doesn't mean every home is happy with how it tastes, smells or treats their appliances. Here's what's going on, supply by supply.
Town water across the ACT and Queanbeyan
Most Canberra homes, and Queanbeyan through a supply arrangement with the ACT, get their water from Icon Water's network. It's drawn from dams in the Cotter catchment and from Googong, then treated before it goes into the pipes.
Two things are added along the way. Chlorine is used as a disinfectant so the water stays safe on its long trip to your tap. Fluoride is added for dental health. Both are deliberate, regulated and at safe levels. They are also the two things people most often ask us about.
What people notice
- Chlorine taste and smell, often stronger closer to the treatment plants or after maintenance on the network.
- Seasonal changes in taste and colour after heavy rain or when the source dam changes.
- Sediment from old pipes, particularly in older suburbs, after mains work or with ageing household plumbing.
- Dry skin after showers, which many people put down to chlorine.
A whole house carbon system deals with chlorine and sediment at every tap. If you'd like to reduce fluoride as well, that takes reverse osmosis.
Rainwater tanks
On rural blocks around Bungendore, Gundaroo, Murrumbateman, Hall and parts of the Yass Valley, a rainwater tank is often the main or only supply. Tank water isn't chlorinated, so it can carry sediment, leaf litter, organic matter and bacteria from the roof and gutters. Tank systems usually need heavier sediment stages and sometimes extra disinfection. That's something we only recommend after testing.
Bore water
Groundwater varies hugely from one property to the next. It's often harder, sometimes high in iron or manganese, and can have high dissolved solids. Bore supplies get a full test before we suggest anything, and they often suit a combination of whole house treatment and RO for drinking water.
Why we test at your tap
Published network data describes water as it leaves the treatment plant, not what comes out of your kitchen tap after it has travelled through decades of pipe. Our free in-home test checks chlorine, hardness, pH and total dissolved solids at your tap, so the recommendation fits your house.
For official water quality results, see Icon Water's published reports. This page is general information, not a substitute for a test of your own supply.