Test Name and details

pH | The degree of acidity or alkalinity

Result

7.48

Guideline

Range from 5-9

LOD

0.01 pH units

Test Name and details

TDS (mg/L) | Total dissolved solids (TDS) consist of inorganic salts and small amounts of organic matter that are dissolved in water. Total dissolved solids comprise: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate, bicarbonate, carbonate, silica, organic matter, fluoride, iron, manganese, nitrate, nitrite and phosphates.

Result

205 mg/L

Guideline

No specific health guideline value is provided for total dissolved solids (TDS), as there are no health effects directly attributable to TDS. However for good palatability total dissolved solids in drinking water should not exceed 600 mg/L

LOD

< 7 mg/L

Test Name and details

Turbidity (NTU) | Cloudiness caused by fine suspended matter in the water. Expressed in NTU Units.

Result

0.3 NTU

Guideline

AG: Less than 5 NTU. However <0.2 NTU is the target for effective filtration of Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

LOD

< 0.1 NTU

Test Name and details

Water Hardness (mg/L CaCO3 equivalent) | Total Hardness of drinking water is roughly expressed and calculated as the sum of the concentrations of calcium and magnesium ions expressed as a calcium carbonate (CaCO3) equivalent.
Degrees of hardness can be described as follows:
Less than 60 mg/L CaCO3: soft but possibly corrosive
60–200 mg/L CaCO3: good quality
200–500 mg/L CaCO3: increasing scaling problems
Greater than 500 mg/L CaCO3: severe scaling

Result

70 mg/L

Guideline

Australian Drinking Water Guideline: Between 60 - 200 mg/L. Total hardness in major Australian reticulated supplies ranges between about 5 mg/L and about 380 mg/L.

LOD

0.05 mg/L

Test Name and details

Total Coliforms (cfu/100 ml) | Coliform bacteria are defined as Rod shaped Gram-negative non-spore forming and motile or non-motile bacteria. They are a commonly used indicator of sanitary quality of foods and water. Coliforms can be found in the aquatic environment, in soil and on vegetation; they are universally present in large numbers in the feces of warm-blooded animals. While coliforms themselves are not normally causes of serious illness, they are easy to culture, and their presence is used to indicate that other pathogenic organisms of fecal origin may be present. cfu = colony forming units

Result

<1 cfu/100 ml

Guideline

None established

LOD

< 1 cfu/100 ml

Test Name and details

E.Coli (cfu/100 ml) | Unlike the general coliform group, E. coli are almost exclusively of fecal origin and their presence is thus an effective confirmation of fecal contamination.

Result

<1 cfu/100 ml

Guideline

None established

LOD

< 1 cfu/100 ml

Test Name and details

Fluoride | Evidence indicates that fluoride plays a role in preventing bacteria from adhering to tooth enamel (as does hygiene and good nutrition) and in increasing bone mass but not strength. Children, particularly under the age of 12 months, should not be exposed to any fluoridated water as it reaches toxic levels because of their small body weight. The use of fluoride as an additive to community drinking water is controversial. Use of fluoride is controlled by state and territory legislation and regulations, and local councils and water authorities. Not all water authorities in Australia add Fluoride to town drinking water. In some areas, fluoride occurs naturally in drinking water. It is also present in food. The fluoridation process is generally undertaken after clarification and chlorination of the water and is achieved by adding either a slurry of sodium fluorosilicate, a solution of hydrofluorosilicic acid or (less commonly) a saturated solution of sodium fluoride, added as a metered dose for a given rate of water flow. (ADWG, 2018)

Result

0.32 mg/L

Guideline

The health-based guideline is less than 1.5 mg/L. Greater than 1.5 mg/L can cause Dental Fluorosis. Greater than 4.0 mg/L can cause Skeletal Fluorosis.

LOD

0.1 mg/L

Test Name and details

Total Chlorine | Various forms of chlorine provide disinfection capabilities in town drinking water. Disinfection is very effective against bacterial pathogens but less so against viruses and enteric protozoa (e.g. Giardia and Cryptosporidium). The presence of viruses and protozoa can be minimised by protecting town water supplies from human and livestock waste.

Result

0.02 mg/L

Guideline

Odour threshold generally 0.6 mg/L, but 0.2 mg/L for a few people. In some supplies it may be necessary to exceed the aesthetic guideline (less than 0.6 mg/L) in order to maintain an effective disinfectant residual throughout the system. Health guideline is less than 5 mg/L.

LOD

0.02 mg/L

Test Name and details

Free Chlorine | The presence of a free chlorine residual in the town water distribution system (including inside the home) provides protection against recontamination from backflow, pipeline breaks or other causes. Generally, a free chlorine residual of between 0.2 and 0.5 mg/L is adequate. However, while chlorine is reasonably effective for bacterial disinfection, chlorine and its many well known chlorine related Disinfection By-Products (DBPs) are toxic and not good for human health. Disinfection by-products (hundreds of DBPs have been identified), can be present in town tap water at low concentrations. It is also possible that when these compounds (both known and unknown) are ingested together, their combined effects on health may be different from their individual effects. We also test for DBPs, but more importantly, Home Water Filtering Technologies can remove chlorine, fluoride and these highly toxic DBPs. In populations who take hot showers or baths, inhalation and skin absorption in the shower accounts for more exposure to DBPs than drinking water.

Result

<0.01 mg/L

Guideline

Between 0.2 - 0.5 mg/L

LOD

0.02 mg/L