Seymour (Victoria) – Lead
2015/16: Seymour Low Level Lead 0.01mg/L
Lead Guideline reduced from 0.01mg/L to 0.005mg/L in June 2025. “The concentration of lead in water within premises may be higher, especially in older buildings, due to contact of the water with lead-containing plumbing products (enHealth 2021). A review found several Australian and international studies that detected up to 0.162 mg/L of lead in drinking water due to leaching from lead-containing plumbing materials including taps and lead service lines, suggesting that leaching of lead from lead-containing plumbing materials can be substantial (SLR 2023)… Based on health considerations, the concentration of lead in drinking water should not exceed 0.005 mg/L.”
Seymour High Level (Victoria) Manganese
2024/25: Seymour High Level (Victoria) Manganese 0.11mg/L (max)
“Based on health considerations, the concentration of manganese in drinking water should not exceed 0.1 mg/L
Based on aesthetic considerations, the concentration of manganese in drinking water should not exceed 0.05 mg/L, measured at the customer’s tap. Water authorities are encouraged to keep manganese concentrations as low as possible, preferably below 0.02 mg/L at the treatment plant…
Reviews by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Health Canada found that several human epidemiological studies suggest an association between exposure to manganese in drinking water and neurological effects (e.g. intellectual impairment and poorer neurobehavioural function, including memory, attention, motor function and hyperactivity). Although these epidemiological studies could not establish the level at which oral manganese intake can lead to neurotoxic effects, collectively they provide support that neurotoxicity is a critical effect in humans (WHO 2021; WHO 2022; Health Canada 2019).
Infants, especially newborns, are unable to regulate the levels of manganese in their bodies due to greater gastrointestinal absorption and immaturity of their homeostatic control of bile excretion (i.e. they excrete less manganese) and are more susceptible than other age groups to the neurotoxic effects of excess manganese (WHO 2021; WHO 2022; Health Canada 2019).
Bottle-fed infants may also be at risk of higher manganese exposure due to infant formula which can be fortified with manganese, along with drinking water used to reconstitute the formula which can have elevated manganese levels compared to bottled water (WHO 2021; WHO 2022; Health Canada 2019). ADWG
Seymour (Victoria) Chloral Hydrate
Highest Detections only 2010/11
Seymour 0.022mg/L Chloral Hydrate 2010/11
2004 Australian Drinking Water Guideline: Trichloroacetaldehyde (chloral hydrate): 0.02mg/L
2011 Australian Drinking Water Guideline: Trichloroacetaldehyde (chloral hydrate): 0.1mg/L
Based on health considerations, the concentration of chloral hydrate in drinking water
should not exceed 0.1 mg/L. Action to reduce chloral hydrate is encouraged, but must not compromise disinfection, as non-disinfected water poses significantly greater risk than chloral hydrate. (2011 ADWG)
2024/25 Seymour (High Level) (Vic) – Iron
2024/25 – Seymour (High level) (Vic) – Iron 0.42mg/L (max), <0.005mg/L (min)
Based on aesthetic considerations (precipitation of iron from solution and taste),
the concentration of iron in drinking water should not exceed 0.3 mg/L.
No health-based guideline value has been set for iron.
Iron has a taste threshold of about 0.3 mg/L in water, and becomes objectionable above 3 mg/L. High iron concentrations give water an undesirable rust-brown appearance and can cause staining of laundry and plumbing fittings, fouling of ion-exchange softeners, and blockages in irrigation systems. Growths of iron bacteria, which concentrate iron, may cause taste and odour problems and lead to pipe restrictions, blockages and corrosion. ADWG 2011
