Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Aluminium
The highest Aluminium reading in Tasmania in 2009/10 was 4.85mg/L recorded at Distillery Creek (part of Launceston’s water supply).
ADWG Guideline = 0.2mg/L(acid soluble).
According to the ADWG, no health guideline has been adopted for Aluminium, but that the issue is still open to review. Aluminium can come from natural geological sources or from the use of aluminium salts as coagulants in water treatment plants. According to the ADWG “A well-operated water filtration plant (even using aluminium as a flocculant) can achieve aluminium concentrations in the finished water of less than 0.1 mg/L.
The most common form of aluminium in water treatment plants is Aluminium Sulfate (Alum). Alum can be supplied as a bulk liquid or in granular form. It is used at water treatment plants as a coagulant to remove turbidity, microorganisms, organic matter and inorganic chemicals. If water is particularly dirty an Alum dose of as high as 500mg/L could occur. There is also concern that other metals may also exist in refined alum.
While the ADWG mentions that there is considerable evidence that Aluminium is neurotoxic and can pass the gut barrier to accumulate in the blood, leading to a condition called encephalopathy (dialysis dementia) and that Aluminium has been associated with Parkinsonism dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the NHMRC, whilst also acknowledging studies which have linked Aluminium with Alzheimer disease, has not granted Aluminium a NOEL (No Observable Effect Level) due to insufficient and contradictory data. Without a NOEL, a health guideline cannot be established. The NHMRC has also stated that if new information comes to hand, a health guideline may be established in the future.
In communication with Aluminium expert Dr Chris Exley (Professor in Bioinorganic Chemistry
The Birchall Centre, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, Staffordshire UK) in March 2013 regarding high levels of Aluminium detected in the South Western Victorian town of Hamilton
“It is my opinion that any value above 0.5 mg/L is totally unacceptable and a potential health risk. Where such values are maintained over days, weeks or even months, as indeed is indicated by the data you sent to me, these represent a significant health risk to all consumers. While consumers may not experience any short term health effects the result of longer term exposure to elevated levels of aluminium in potable waters may be a significant increase in the body burden of aluminium in these individuals. This artificially increased body burden will not return to ‘normal’ levels when the Al content of the potable water returns to normal but will act as a new platform level from which the Al body burden will continue to increase.
Distillery Creek (Tasmania) – Turbidity
2016/17: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) – Turbidity 14.6 NTU (Maximum detection during year), 0.3 NTU (mean)
Chlorine-resistant pathogen reduction: Where filtration alone is used as the water treatment
process to address identified risks from Cryptosporidium and Giardia, it is essential
that filtration is optimised and consequently the target for the turbidity of water leaving
individual filters should be less than 0.2 NTU, and should not exceed 0.5 NTU at any time
Disinfection: A turbidity of less than 1 NTU is desirable at the time of disinfection with
chlorine unless a higher value can be validated in a specific context.
Aesthetic: Based on aesthetic considerations, the turbidity should not exceed 5 NTU at the
consumer’s tap
Distillery Creek – Tasmania – Temperature
December 22 2015: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Kings Meadows – Temperature 22C
December 22 2015: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) East Launceston – Temperature 20C
December 22 2015: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 22C
December 22 2015: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) West Launceston – Temperature 22C
December 22 2015: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Invermay – Temperature 21C
December 29 2015: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Denman Rd – Temperature 21C
December 29 2015: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) West Launceston – Temperature 21C
December 29 2015: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Kings Meadows – Temperature 22C
December 29 2015: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 21C
January 5 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) South Launceston – Temperature 23C
January 5 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 21C
January 5 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) West Launceston – Temperature 21C
January 13 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) East Launceston – Temperature 24C
January 13 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 24C
January 13 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Summerhill – Temperature 26C
January 13 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) East Launceston – Temperature 21C
January 20 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Kings Meadows – Temperature 22C
January 20 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 22C
January 20 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) West Launceston – Temperature 23C
January 20 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Invermay – Temperature 21C
January 20 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) East Launceston – Temperature 21C
January 27 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 22C
January 27 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) West Launceston – Temperature 22C
January 27 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Denman – Temperature 23C
January 27 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 22C
February 2 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) South Launceston – Temperature 23C
February 2 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 23C
February 2 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) South Launceston – Temperature 23C
February 2 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) West Launceston – Temperature 22C
February 2 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Mowbray – Temperature 22C
February 9 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Treatment Plant – Temperature 21C
February 9 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) East Launceston – Temperature 21C
February 9 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) East Launceston – Temperature 25C
February 9 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 24C
February 9 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) East Launceston – Temperature 23C
February 10 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Summerhill – Temperature 26C
February 16 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) West Launceston – Temperature 22C
February 23 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 21C
February 23 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) West Launceston – Temperature 22C
February 23 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) East Launceston – Temperature 21C
February 23 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Denman Rd – Temperature 23C
March 1 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Mowbray – Temperature 21C
March 8 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) East Launceston – Temperature 22C
March 8 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Launceston – Temperature 21C
March 8 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Summerhill – Temperature 22C
March 16 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) West Launceston – Temperature 21C
March 22 2016: Distillery Creek (Tasmania) Denman Rd – Temperature 21C
GUIDELINE
“No guideline is set due to the impracticality of controlling water temperature.
Drinking water temperatures above 20°C may result in an increase in the number of
complaints.
Temperature is primarily an aesthetic criterion for drinking water. Generally, cool water is more palatable than warm or cold water. In general, consumers will react to a change in water temperature. Complaints are most frequent when the temperature suddenly increases.
The turbidity and colour of filtered water may be indirectly affected by temperature, as low water temperatures tend to decrease the efficiency of water treatment processes by, for instance, affecting floc formation rates and sedimentation efficiency.
Chemical reaction rates increase with temperature, and this can lead to greater corrosion of pipes and fittings in closed systems. Scale formation in hard waters will also be greater at higher temperatures…
Water temperatures in major Australian reticulated supplies range from 10°C to 30°C. In some long, above-ground pipelines, water temperatures up to 45°C may be experienced…
The effectiveness of chlorine as a disinfectant is influenced by the temperature of the water being dosed. Generally higher temperatures result in more effective disinfection at a particular chlorine dose, but this may be counterbalanced by a more rapid loss of chlorine to the atmosphere (AWWA 1990).