Laverton – Western Australia – Total Dissolved Solids
2007/08: Laverton (Western Australia) – Total Dissolved Solids 623 mg/L (Maximum Level)
2018/19: Laverton (Western Australia) Total Dissolved Solids 648mg/L (max), 607mg/L (mean)
2019/20: Laverton (Western Australia) Total Dissolved Solids 602mg/L (max), 577mg/L (mean)
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.
Total dissolved solids (TDS) consist of inorganic salts and small amounts of organic matter that are dissolved in water. Clay particles, colloidal iron and manganese oxides and silica, fine enough to pass through a 0.45 micron filter membrane can also contribute to total dissolved solids.
Total dissolved solids comprise: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate, bicarbonate, carbonate, silica, organic matter, fluoride, iron, manganese, nitrate, nitrite and phosphates…” Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011
Laverton (Western Australia) – Nitrate
“…The water supply for Laverton is obtained from the Beasley Creek bore and the Wedge Pit bore field, which are located about 12 kilometres north-west of the town. Nitrate in all the town water supplies exceeds the 50 mg/L1 (nitrate as NO3) standard for drinking water and is generally greater than 30 mg/L1, with a maximum concentration of 130 mg/L1…”
“…According to the Water Corporation (2013) in 1996, the Western Australian Department of Heath exempted the following remote towns from meeting the water quality guidelines regarding excessive nitrate levels in drinking water: Cue, Meekatharra, Mount Magnet, Nabawa, New Norcia, Sandstone, Wiluna, Yalgoo, Laverton, Leonora, and Menzies. These exemptions are still current. Community health nurses are instructed to provide bottled water free to nursing mothers, at no cost.
Source: Unsafe drinking water quality in remote Western Australian Aboriginal communities Geographical Research 184 • May 2019 • 57(2), 178–188
Nitrate: ADWG Guideline 50mg/L. Nitrate is the product of oxygenated nitrogen created from the breakdown of organic matter; lightning strikes; inorganic pesticides; or explosives. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines recommend that nitrate levels between 50-100mg/L are a health consideration for infants less than three months, although levels up to 100mg/L can be safely consumed by adults. Mainly a problem in Northern Territory and some communities in Western Australia.