If you are new in Melbourne, this will be your first time seeing Melbourne tap water. You can clean your clothes, take a bath, wash your face or mouth with the water. Everyone in the city is doing so. However, the one thing you are yet to know is if the tap water of Melbourne is safe to drink or not.
You may have questions like - does it taste funny, or is the water a bit cloudy perhaps, or is it safe to drink the water from the bathroom tap directly? Perhaps you have chosen to drink bottled water. In this article we will answer the questions - can you drink bathroom tap water in Melbourne?
You will be happy to know that the tap water from the bathroom in Melbourne is absolutely edible. That means you can directly drink the water from Melbourne bathroom taps. According to international data, when it comes to municipal water, Melbourne’s tap water stands second in the world as edible water.
This means, you can trust the tap water in Melbourne and drink from it as much as you want. There is an international competition of municipal water and in both 2016 and 2019 Melbourne tap water took the second best place in the whole world.
In this competition, waters from various municipalities are compared to rank them based on their quality. The factors considered by the judges are - taste, appearance, aroma, mouthfeel, and aftertaste.
Based on these factors, tap water from Melbourne was ranked the second in the world. It is not just best quality water, it is labeled as directly edible without any purification. You can trust the water. However, you can always use a water purifier if you feel like doing so.
In the whole wide world, Melbourne is among the only two cities that gets the supply water from catchments that are protected. These catchments act as natural reservoirs surrounded by forests. The forests act as natural filtration plants. So the only thing needs to be done is to disinfect the water.
The soil of the ranges mentioned above is like a sponge. As a result, it can hold rainwater which is later gradually released into the reservoir. Besides, there is hardly any access to the public, hence there is no need for a massive treatment process to clean the water. Only a little work is enough to produce clean water.
Water remains in the reservoir for at least 5 years. This time period is enough for all impurities to break down. However, the water from the reservoirs still goes through cleaning treatment to ensure the highest quality and safety.
The water from these protected catchments are cleaned in three different ways - adding a safe amount of chlorine, UV treatment, and membrane filtration. To ensure the health of the teeth of the public, fluoride is also mixed with the water. After the treatment, you can even drink bathroom tap water in Melbourne.
However, water is safe only when authorities say it is. In 2021, the world class drinking water of Melbourne became seriously contaminated after a very bad storm. A notice to the residents was issued stating the danger of drinking the usual tap water. The residents got their drinking water supplied by the authority, because even boiling would not remove contaminants from the water.
Another storm hit a few weeks later and around a hundred suburbs were suffering from lack of proper drinking water. The situation was so severe that around two hundred thousand households had to boil their water before drinking. The Environment protection authority in Melbourne released news updates about water quality in real time.
To inspire a full trust it is necessary to know how the quality of the tap water in Melbourne is tested. You will be happy to know that there is a rigorous testing process that the Melbourne tap water has to go through before it reaches your hand.
Melbourne water supply authority tests the purified natural water before releasing it to the public. The factors that they test are: hardness of water / mineral content, pH level, concentration of fluoride and chlorine, bacteria, contaminants like fuel or pesticides, and radiological quality.
Water samples from over hundred and sixty sites are tested each year so that the quality of tap water is ensured. Annually, more than three thousand microbiological and eight hundred chemical or physical samples are tested.
Tap water of Melbourne is also tested for aesthetic factors, like - smell, color, mouthfeel, and clarity. After everything is tested and the quality ensured, Melbourne water supply authority releases the water for public use and consumption.
Chlorine is a vital element to disinfect the water in the natural water sources. In the open catchments of Melbourne a required amount of chlorine is injected to the reserved water. The amount can vary. However, the typical amount is less than one milligram per liter of water. This amount usually kills all the bacteria that can cause disease in your body.
Melbourne water supply authority also measures the hardness of the water before it is supplied to the public. Hardness of water is measured from the amount of minerals dissolved in the water. If the concentration is higher, the water is also harder.
Although the hardness of water does not cause sickness, your daily work will become difficult. It is good to know that the hardness of water in Melbourne is very low. The hardness is typically eleven to thirty eight grams per one liter of water.
The water quality of Melbourne bathroom taps is so good that it is globally award-winning good. There is no need to be alarmed. However, if you prefer to buy an extra water purifier for your personal use, you have the freedom!
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