Mackay, Walkerston (Queensland) – Lead
2013/14: Mackay, Walkerston Lead 0.0074mg/L (max)
2016/2017: Walkerston (Mackay) Lead 0.00512mg/L (max), 0.00264mg/L av.)
July 26 2021: Lead was detected during routine sampling a Walkerston 1 – Skate Park, above the ADWG heath guideline value of 0.01mg/L. Elevated turbidity and iron results were also identified. A sample taken on the same day from a nearby drinking monitoring point returned a compliant result, indicating the breach was localised.
Additional sampling at the Skate Park on 3 August 2021, the Walkerston Reservoir and nearby drinking water sample points returned results that were compliant with the ADWG guidelines. An inspection of the Walkerston 1 – Skate Park sample tap identified that there was degradation of the tap. The sample box also had obvious signs of maintenance work, with the latch having been recently repaired. It is likely that the cause of the high lead, turbidity and iron levels are related to the degradation of the sample tap and the repairs to the sample box. No immediate corrective actions were undertaken as water quality results from nearby sample points and follow up sampling from 3 August 2021 did not indicate any ongoing issues.
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.”