Water Quality

Council provides quality drinking water to residents that is regularly tested and complies with Australian guidelines.

Australian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011 (ADWG) provide a framework for the management of drinking water supplies. They are a reference for what defines safe, good quality water, how it can be achieved and how it can be assured. They are concerned both with safety to human health and with aesthetic quality. Guideline values for microbial, physical and chemical characteristics are provided for water utilities to work towards.

Drinking water quality monitoring program in the Bega Valley Shire

The NSW Health Drinking Water Monitoring Program (DWMP) requires monitoring of water quality at the point of supply and analysis of water samples for their physical, chemical and microbial characteristics. Samples for the program are collected by Council Environmental Health Officers and analysed at the NSW Forensic and Analytical Science Service (FASS) laboratory. The DWMP helps the BVSC to achieve verification of drinking water quality and assess the overall performance of our drinking water management system and the ultimate quality of drinking water being supplied to customers.

In the Bega Valley Shire, drinking water samples are taken from 100 separate sampling locations (taps) throughout the year for microbial analysis across the 4 water supply systems. These water samples are analysed for E.coli and total coliforms. Free chlorine and total chlorine are also analysed at these sites.

Drinking water samples are also taken from 28 separate sampling locations throughout the year for physical and chemical analysis across the 4 water supply systems. These water samples are analysed for pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, hardness, colour, fluoride, sulphate, nitrate, nitrite, iron, manganese, other metals and heavy metals.

The ADWG framework for the management of drinking water quality also includes a requirement for regular communication with the community about drinking water monitoring results and water quality issues. It is also a requirement under the NSW Public Health Regulation 2022 that BVSC's drinking water quality management system include processes for community engagement and raising community awareness about the quality of drinking water and incidents within our water supply systems.

Our DWMP Water Quality Report 2024-2025(PDF, 749KB) contains a summary of analysis results of water quality monitoring undertaken within each of our water supply systems as part of the DWMP during 2024-2025 and compliance with ADWG guideline values.

PFAS

Per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals used to make products which resist heat, stains, grease and water. PFAS remain in the environment, including water and soil, for a long time. People can be exposed to PFAS through food, water, air and skin contact. 

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) develops the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG), which include health-based guideline values for PFAS in drinking water. The NHMRC has confirmed that drinking water, as long as it meets its current drinking water guidelines, remains safe to drink. 

Water utilities are responsible for assessing and managing the risk of PFAS in drinking water. NSW Health recommends all water utilities undertake testing for PFAS.  

The risk of PFAS contamination of drinking water in the Bega Valley Shire is very low. There are no known risk sites within drinking water catchments. 

In December 2024 Bega Valley Shire Council and NSW Health undertook an initial round of PFAS testing at six sampling locations, one for each treated water source. No PFAS was detected. The testing was repeated in November 2025 and expanded to include raw water sources. The results are shown in the table below. No PFAS was detected in treated or raw water sources.

• View the PFAST Results for November 2025(PDF, 126KB)

Water quality issues of the Bega Valley Shire

Sampling and analysis of water quality for compliance with the ADWG guideline values shows Bega Valley Shire to have a very high quality of water (refer above). Nevertheless, there are factors and occurrences that detrimentally affect water quality at certain times and for some customers. The main causal factors, water quality issues and systems where these issues arise are shown in the table below.

Water mains and reservoirs on each system need to be cleaned periodically (flushing and vacuuming) to remove sediment (clays, iron hydroxide, carbonates, organic matter). The majority of dirty water issues are due to the re-suspension of sediment that has accumulated within parts of the system. Chlorine residuals can be variable at some locations due to the long detention times in the system.

Water treatment plants

There are three water treatment plants (WTP’s) in the Bega Valley Shire – Bemboka WTP, Brogo WTP and Bega WTP.

Bemboka WTP is a small 0.5 ML/d membrane water filtration plant for the village of Bemboka. Water from the Bemboka River is filtered by membranes and chlorinated at the WTP.

Brogo WTP is a 3.5 ML/d dissolved air floatation filtration plant for the towns, villages and localities served by the Brogo-Bermagui water supply system. Water from the Brogo River is clarified by dissolved air floatation, filtered by tri-media filters, chlorinated and fluoridated at the WTP.

Bega WTP is a 9 ML/d membrane water filtration plant for the towns, villages and localities served by the Bega-Tathra water supply system. Water from the Bega borefield is filtered by membranes, disinfected with UV light and chlorine, and fluoridated at the WTP.

There are currently no WTP’s for the Tantawanglo-Kiah water supply system. Water from the sources and dam storages is disinfected with chlorine only, and re-chlorinated at downstream locations to maintain a target chlorine residual level in the water. A WTP for Yellow Pinch Dam (YPD) is in the planning stage, due for completion by 2029. A WTP for Kiah borefield and Ben Boyd Dam will be planned after completion of YPD WTP.

WTP’s improve the quality, safety and consistency of drinking water and enable water quality risks at sources and storages to be managed more effectively. WTP’s ensure compliance with Australian Drinking Water Guideline values.

For more information on WTP’s in the Bega Valley Shire contact BVSC Water and Sewerage Services.

Using water in the home

Use water from the cold water tap for drinking and cooking. Hot water systems may contain more dissolved minerals and metals, due to the heating process.

Copper pipes are used extensively in plumbing systems in Australia (and internationally). Drinking water can contain elevated metals such as copper and sometimes lead when left standing in pipes for extended periods. In this case, it is a good idea to flush cold taps for 2-3 minutes before using the water for drinking or cooking. This will lower the levels of copper and other metals that may be present in the water. This ‘first-flush’ of water can be used for washing up, watering plants, or other non-drinking uses.

• NSW Health

Fluoridation

The NSW Government considers fluoridation of water supplies an effective way to deliver fluoride to the community. In the Bega Valley Shire, the Bega-Tathra and Brogo-Bermagui water supply systems have fluoride added to the water. The Tantawanglo-Kiah and Bemboka water supply systems are not fluoridated. Any proposal to fluoridate is made with community consultation.