Making sure everyone has high-quality drinking water is our number one priority.

We work hard to ensure we deliver this every day but sometimes our customers are concerned about the quality of their water – this could be the look, taste or odour – so they contact us.

We can usually resolve questions about water quality straight away…

There are some common problems such as black, brown, orange or yellow looking water resulting from a sudden change in direction of water within iron mains, which can disturb iron and manganese particles that settle in the bottom of the pipes. This can occur when work is taking place in the area, for example, repairs to a burst main or moving water to supply a different area. We’ll advise you to run the cold kitchen tap for 20-30 minutes or until the water runs clear, whichever is sooner.

Or occasionally, the water can look cloudy or milky white in colour. This is probably because air has got into the water supply. It may occur if there’s been a burst water main in your area or if we’ve been carrying out maintenance work. It could also be caused by your internal plumbing. This is harmless and the water is completely safe to drink.

Sometimes we may need to investigate the problem further. If appropriate, we’ll take samples for analysis and let you know the results.