Ridgehaven (South Australia) – Trihalomethanes
Breaches to Australian Drinking Water Guidelines Levels Only
17/03/2014 Ridgehaven Lynore Road Trihalomethanes – Total 252 ug/L
Trihalomethanes Australian Guideline Level 250μg/L (0.25mg/L)
Why and how are THMs formed?
“When chlorine is added to water with organic material, such as algae, river weeds, and decaying leaves, THMs are formed. Residual chlorine molecules react with this harmless organic material to form a group of chlorinated chemical compounds, THMs. They are tasteless and odourless, but harmful and potentially toxic. The quantity of by-products formed is determined by several factors, such as the amount and type of organic material present in water, temperature, pH, chlorine dosage, contact time available for chlorine, and bromide concentration in the water. The organic matter in water mainly consists of a) humic substance, which is the organic portion of soil that remains after prolonged microbial decomposition formed by the decay of leaves, wood, and other vegetable matter; and b) fulvic acid, which is a water soluble substance of low molecular weight that is derived from humus”. Source: https://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/in
Ridgehaven (South Australia) – Bromodichloromethane
2016/2017: Rideghaven (South Australia) Bromodichloromethane 79ug/L (max), 43.69ug/L (av. 2022/23)
8/5/23: Rideghaven (South Australia) Bromodichloromethane 71ug/L (max), 42.75ug/L (av. 2022/23)
WHO Guideline level BDCM: 60ug/L (Australian Guideline for BDCM is included in the Trihalomethane (THM) combined total of BDCM, Chloroform, Dibromochloromethane and Bromoform. THM guideline is 250ug/L)
“Carcinogenicity : Bromodichloromethane is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in experimental animals.
Cancer Studies in Experimental Animals: Oral exposure to bromodichloromethane caused tumors at several different tissue sites in mice and rats. Administration of bromodichloromethane by stomach tube caused benign and malignant kidney tumors (tubular-cell adenoma and adenocarcinoma) in male mice and in rats of both sexes, benign and
malignant liver tumors (hepatocellular adenoma and carcinoma) in female mice, and benign and malignant colon tumors (adenomatous polyps and adenocarcinoma) in rats of both sexes (NTP 1987, ATSDR 1989, IARC 1991, 1999).
Ridgehaven (South Australia) – Aluminium
12/3/19: Lynore Road, Ridgehaven (South Australia) – Aluminium 0.533mg/L
12/3/19: Lynore Road, Ridgehaven (South Australia) – Aluminium 0.611mg/L
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 with age.
Ridgehaven – South Australia – Temperature
November 30 2016: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 23C
December 6 2016: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 22C
December 14 2016: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 23C
December 21 2016: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 21C
December 28 2016: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 24C
January 5 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 25C
January 11 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 26C
January 18 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 25C
January 25 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 26C
February 1 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 26C
February 8 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 26C
February 16 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 26C
February 22 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 26C
February 28 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 22C
March 8 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 25C
March 14 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 26C
March 22 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 25C
March 29 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 23C
April 5 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 21C
April 12 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 22C
April 18 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore Rd – Temperature 22C
April 24 2017: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Lynore 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).
Chlorine reacts with organic matter in water to produce undesirable chlorinated organic by-products, and higher temperatures increase the rate of these reactions.
Temperature can directly affect the growth and survival of microorganisms. In general the survival time of infectious bacteria and parasites is reduced as the temperature of the contaminated water increases.
Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011
2019: Ridgehaven (South Australia Australia) Iron
12/3/19: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Iron 0.642mg/L (max)
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
2018/19: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Turbidity
2018/19: Ridgehaven – Turbidity 7.1NTU (max), 0.63NTU (av.)
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
2022/23 Ridgehaven (South Australia) Chloropicrin
2022/23: Ridgehaven (South Australia) Chloropicrin 1ug/L (max), 0.5ug/L (av.)
No Guideline level for Chloropicrin
Chloropicrin is formed in water by the reaction of chlorine with humic acids, amino acids,
and nitrophenols. The presence of nitrates increases the amount formed (6). Chloropicrin has
been detected in drinking-water; however, in the presence of reducing agents, it is converted
into chloroform