Water quality common concerns

Chloramine is a disinfectant used to treat drinking water. Chloramine is most commonly formed when ammonia is added to chlorine to treat drinking water. The typical purpose of chloramine is to provide longer-lasting water treatment as the water moves through pipes to consumers. Chloramine has been used by water utilities for almost 90 years, and its use is closely regulated and safe to drink.

Liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) is a disinfectant commonly used by water utilities to kill potential microorganisms in the drinking water network. Sodium hypochlorite was endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for use as a drinking water treatment chemical in 1983. The revision undertaken in 2025 did not change the status of this chemical for the treatment of drinking water.

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines recommends that the level of total chlorine is kept below the health guideline value of 5 mg/L for chlorine and 4.1mg/L for chloramine. Council maintains the concentration of the disinfectants well below these levels.

Seqwater (responsible for treating the raw water) and Council (responsible for distributing the treated water) normally maintain the level of disinfectants between 0.2 mg/L and 2 mg/L (parts per million). This is sufficient to protect you and your family against potential contamination of the drinking water supply, and to assist in the maintenance of the water supply network.

Many people can taste chlorine and chloramines in drinking water at levels as low as 0.6 mg/L. If you notice the taste of chlorine, we recommend that you place an unsealed jug of drinking water in the fridge for a few hours. The chlorine taste will normally disappear. Activated carbon filters are another method that can also remove the taste.

Council has a number of locations where chlorine is added to drinking water to maintain disinfection or as part of our network maintenance program. If you live close to these locations, at times you may notice a stronger taste or smell of chlorine in your water.

Dirty water can sometimes occur if we have recently carried out maintenance on the water pipes or fire hydrant testing in your area. This can disturb sediment deposited in the water pipes, resulting in the tap water appearing dirty. The water is safe to drink. If there is ever any health risk in the water supply, we will notify the public immediately.

Home test

Fill a clean clear glass with water and place it on a white sheet of paper. If the water is left to stand, the particles will settle to the bottom of the glass.

If your water is dirty:

• Run the tap closest to the water meter for 5 to 10 minutes. Flushing a domestic tap for 5 minutes uses about 75 litres of water which costs approximately 30 cents.
• Run the outside tap at the back of your property until the water is clear (for 5 to 10 minutes).
• You may want to reuse this water by filling a bucket to use on your plants or garden.

If your water does not clear call us on 07 3412 3412 and select Option 1 for Logan Water.

If you have dirty water, avoid using your dishwasher or washing machine until the issue has been resolved.

If your tap water sometimes looks dirty over a long time, it might be caused by rust or damage in the pipes at your property. Contact a licensed plumber who will provide advice on what you can do to improve water quality in your property.

If your water looks white or milky, it could be due to recent maintenance, which can trap air bubbles in pipes.

You can check this by filling a glass with water and leaving it to sit. If the milky colour disappears, it is due to the air bubbles and is safe to drink. If it does not clear within 10 minutes, please call us on 07 3412 3412 and select Option 1 for Logan Water.

Orange or rusty brown water that turns clear after 2 to 5 minutes may indicate there is corrosion in the plumbing of your house.

Water pipes in older homes were made of galvanised iron, which corrodes over time. A licensed plumber can help you locate the problem and replace the old pipes. If you do not replace the pipes, they may start leaking or burst over time.

If your water does not clear call us on 07 3412 3412 and select Option 1 for Logan Water.

We use chlorine and chloramine to disinfect drinking water. These kill harmful micro-organisms and make our water safe to drink. If you find the taste is too strong, place a container of water in the fridge for a few hours, and the chlorine taste will reduce.

Controlled dosing with chlorine or chloramine is a safe and effective method to protect against contamination of the water supply from microbiological organisms.

Many people can taste chlorine and chloramines in drinking water at levels as low as 0.6 mg/L

If you notice the taste of chlorine, we recommend that you place an unsealed jug of drinking water in the fridge for a few hours. The chlorine taste will normally disappear. Activated carbon filters are another method that can remove the taste.

If the water smells strongly of chlorine, is unpleasant to drink, or if you have concerns, please call us on 07 3412 3412 and select Option 1 for Logan Water.

Many new plumbing installations use plastic pipes. When first installed, there can be a plastic taste to the water for a few days. You can reduce this taste by running the water for a two to five minutes before drinking.

Flushing a domestic tap for 5 minutes uses about 75 litres of water which costs approximately 30 cents.

If you have concerns about the quality of your water supply, please call us on 07 3412 3412 and select Option 1 for Logan Water.

Corrosion of iron or copper pipes in your household plumbing can lead to a “metallic” taste. This can also cause your water to look orange, rusty, or blue and stain sinks.

This can happen if you have not used your taps for a while.

If you run your taps for a few minutes the taste should disappear.

To treat the staining, you may use a lemon-based cleaning product which contains citric acid.

Your licensed plumber can help you if the problem continues.

If you have concerns about the quality of your water supply, please call us on 07 3412 3412 and select Option 1 for Logan Water.

Your water should not taste like petrol, kerosene, pesticide or any other petrochemical product.

Have any paints, solvents, petrol or kerosene been used on the property lately? Were they disposed of correctly?

A potential cause of this taste and smell is spilled chemicals leaching into plumbing through ‘plastic’ pipes. If you, or people working around your property have spilled any petroleum-based products around your property (petrol, oil, turps, methylated spirits and some pesticides) these can leach through your plastic pipes.

Incorrect disposal of these items may contaminate your water and lead to health risks and costly repairs. Council has regular chemical drop-off days that you can take unwanted chemicals to.

If you believe that this has occurred on your property, check with your neighbours to confirm whether they are experiencing a similar taste or odour to their water.

For more information download our Chemical Contamination Factsheet(PDF, 139KB).

If your water tastes like this do not drink it. Call us immediately on 07 3412 3412.

If the taste or odour is isolated to your property then you will need to contact a licensed plumber to assist you in resolving the issue. If necessary, we can assist you with tests to confirm the source of contamination. Please  call us on 07 3412 3412 and select Option 1 for Logan Water to find out how we can help.

The South East Queensland water supply can sometimes have a musty, earthy smell and taste. This is due to an increase in naturally occurring organic compounds in the water supplied to us by Seqwater. These compounds are known as Methylisoborneol (MIB) and Geosmin. They usually exist in the water supply in low numbers. Warm temperatures and rainfall, together with high levels of sunlight and calm waters can cause an increase in these compounds. When this happens the human nose and taste buds are able to detect these compounds, resulting in the earthy smell and taste in the tap water.

Both MIB and Geosmin are safe to drink and are not harmful. Chilling the water may reduce the earthy taste in the tap water, while adding a slice of lemon, other fruit, or cordial etc. will also help.

The water will return to its usual taste and odour once measures put in place by Seqwater take effect or the conditions causing the increase in the compounds are no longer being met.

Logan Water constantly monitors the quality of the water supplied to our residents to ensure it continues to meet the stringent health requirement of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. If you have concerns about the quality of your water supply, please call us on 07 3412 3412 and select Option 1 for Logan Water.

Logan’s water supply is in the ‘good quality’ range. We routinely measure the hardness of the water supply throughout the network.

Degrees of hardness are described in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines as:

Some types of dishwashers and washing machines do have the option to program them with a hardness setting. You should leave your dishwasher and washing machine on factory settings where possible. If in doubt, please contact the manufacturer for more information.

Can you form lather/foam with soap? Hard water prevents soap from foaming. If your soap does not easily foam, then your water is considered hard.

Does the water taste chalky? Hard water is generally described as 'chalky', whereas soft water is often described as 'slippery'.