Central Coast Council is aware of an increased number of discoloured water incidents across the region. The most impacted suburbs are Point Clare, Narara, Bensville, Niagara Park, Lisarow, Gosford, Booker Bay, Umina Beach, Woy Woy, Tascott, Wyoming and several surrounding suburbs. Although not appealing, the water remains safe to drink.

Council has responded to calls over the past few days to identify the cause of discoloured water, including multiple site visits, carrying out flushing and sampling of the water mains to resolve these issues.

Council is committed to providing high quality drinking water for all residents. Regular tests performed by Council and independent National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) registered laboratories ensure water is safe for human consumption and complies with the water quality guideline values provided in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

Discoloured water is a common occurrence that can be caused by several issues. It is more frequently experienced during summer and periods of daily or seasonally higher demand, in low lying areas, dead end streets and streets that normally experience low flow velocities.

Council also regularly carry out programmed flushing on a fortnightly and monthly basis for areas with known historic patterns of discoloured and dirty water complaints to reduce the likelihood of this occurring.

Council’s regular flushing program has been delayed over the last few weeks as crews respond to urgent works following the recent storms, which may be the cause of the increased number of complaints recently.

In the event of discoloured water, first check Council’s website to see if there is a disruption in your area. If there is not a disruption, residents are advised to run the front garden tap into a bucket for 60 seconds every half an hour to check if the water has cleared. If the water in the front tap does not improve after an hour contact Council on 1300 463 954.

Once the water in the front tap is clear, clear inside water lines by running the back garden tap into a bucket until the water is clear. Water collected during this process can be used to water gardens. Please be aware the quality of drinking water can change once it leaves Council’s distribution system and enters the plumbing on private property.

Those experiencing repeat discoloured water incidents are encouraged to contact Council with details of where and when the event occurred to help analyse the information to determine further action.

More information can be found at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/residents/roads-and-water/drinking-water-quality