Maitland’s extreme heat is said to be the cause of dirty tap water affecting resident’s across six of the city’s suburbs.
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Hunter Water has confirmed it has received calls from Rutherford, Telarah, Gillieston Heights and Greta residents about water soiling their washing and discolouring their drinking and bath water this week.
Aberglasslyn and Metford residents have also posted comments and photographs on Facebook about their poor water quality, one image showing of a glass of tap water which looked more like a urine specimen.
Aberglasslyn resident Anne-Maree Musgrove posted a picture of one of her bath towels soiled by the discoloured water.
She said she has to leave her taps running for 10 minutes for the discolouration to disappear.
“I saw the colour of the water on the floor of shower and it looked like I was washing off a fake tan,” she said.
“I wasn’t expecting it to stay on my skin and on my towel.”
Michele O’Meley also of Aberglasslyn, cancelled her son’s 16th birthday pool party because of the state of the water used to fill her pool.
She said she will complain to Hunter Water about the poor water quality in her area.
“Our pool guy charged us double the usual fee and we had to keep the water running and the pump running to clear it. It happened on a Saturday and we had a 16th birthday pool party for my son and his mates planned.
“It had to be cancelled and we had to do something away from the water because the water looked disgusting,” she said.
Hunter Water said a small number of customers had experienced discoloured water across some Maitland suburbs.
A company spokesperson said extreme heat had placed high demand on Hunter Water’s system in recent days and as a result of the sudden increase in the rate of water flow, it caused natural sediment in the bottom of the pipes to dislodge and temporarily change the appearance of tap water.
“Discoloured water is usually aesthetic, rather than a health issue, but people should avoid drinking their tap water if it is discoloured,” the spokesperson said.
“Customers can first try clearing their water by turning a tap on full for a few minutes to flush their plumbing.
“If their water remains discoloured it is best to contact our 24-hour emergency line on 1300 657 000 so we can send a technician to flush the mains in the street,” the spokesperson said.
Residents can learn more about the dirty water issue on Hunter Water’s website.
