Water quality up there with the best
Published on 05 December 2024
While attention around the state turns to the importance of drinking water quality, MidCoast Council is happy to announce the region continues to return excellent results from PFAS testing.
Not only is our drinking water safe, but it is also consistently of outstanding quality.
MidCoast Council’s Executive Manager Water and Systems, Marnie Coates, said the MidCoast has some of the best quality drinking water in the country.
“We consistently score around the 99 – 100 percent mark with our rigorous quality testing we do each month,” she explained.
“Straight off the bat our water is some of the best around.”
To provide further reassurance MidCoast Council also recently participated in a PFAS sampling program. Water from all five of the supply systems was tested.
The results showed that in all cases PFAS contaminants were below detection levels and means MidCoast Council meets both stringent current and proposed Australian Drinking Water Guideline requirements.
“The sensitivity of the test is the equivalent of finding one drop of water in 20 Olympic sized swimming pools, one second in around 31,700 years or around two cups of water in the entire Sydney Harbour,” Ms Coates said.
“You can’t get a better result. This is great news for the area as PFAS contamination has obviously been an issue of increasing concern throughout Australia recently.”
To further highlight how safe and reliable the region’s drinking water is, MidCoast Council have recently unveiled The Refill Mobile, a mobile water bottle refill trailer.
Ms Coates said the public will start to see the trailer and staff at various Council and community events. It will be hooked up to a nearby water supply and offer refills of drinking water, free of charge.
“The trailer made its first appearance at the recent Barrington Coast Airshow, at the Taree Airport, and was popular among everyone keeping them hydrated on what was a hot day on the tarmac,” she said.
In further positive water news for the region the outlook for summer appears favourable with Bootawa Dam above 95% capacity and predictions that rainfall will be higher-than-average from December to February.
“This is fantastic news for the region, but it is always advisable to use water wisely because it is our most precious resource,” Ms Coates said.
For a range of handy tips and tools for saving water, visit https://haveyoursay.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/water-wiser-hub