Newborough residents experiencing cloudy tap water could be assured the water is safe to drink, a Gippsland Water spokeswoman says.
A number of houses in the Newborough area experienced water outtages and cloudy water coming out of their taps following damage to Gippsland Water tanks in Narracan Drive last week.
Newborough resident Wendy Farmer said she lost water to her home on Wednesday and had experienced cloudy water out of her tap until Friday afternoon.
“The water doesn’t smell but you don’t really want to drink it when it looks like that,” she said.
“It was so white, I didn’t even want to brush my teeth with it, not knowing what was in it.”
Ms Farmer said she had received a call from Gippsland Water to say the water was safe to drink but she still felt uncomfortable because of its appearance.
The Gippsland Water spokeswoman said the cloudiness was caused by air trapped in the water.
“This is common after a break as the water main fills up with air. Once we turn the water back on, it mixes with the air inside the main,” she said.
“The water is safe to drink. If left to settle, the air will dissipate over time. Air doesn’t affect the quality of the water. It is purely an aesthetic issue.”
The spokeswoman said most customers were without water for about an hour following the damge to the water tanks.
“We were able to quickly isolate the main, restoring water supply to the majority of customers,” she said.
“While we repaired the damaged main, 45 customers in the Narracan Drive area were without water until 9.30pm.
“Our water quality team is looking at ways they can speed up the process of separating the air from the water for customers. In the meantime, Newborough residents can be assured that their water is safe to drink and that the air will dissipate over time.”
