Water taste issues in the Yarrawonga system
25 January 2023
Customers in the Yarrawonga, Bundalong, Tungamah, St James, Devenish, and Goorambat townships may currently be experiencing an earthy taste and smell in their water.
This is caused by a naturally occurring compound called Geosmin, which is produced by blue green algae found in the water supply for the Yarrawonga drinking water system.
Although the water may be unpleasant to taste, it is still safe to consume, meets all Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and poses no risk to human health.
We have adjusted our treatment process at the Yarrawonga water treatment plant to remove as much Geosmin as possible, however at very high levels it can be difficult for our treatment processes to remove all taste and odour.
Following the 2022 floods, all water corporations along the Murray River are detecting higher levels of the compound than are normally seen.
If you would like more information on Geosmin please view the factsheet on our website or call us on 1300 361 644 (24-7).
We apologise for any inconvenience.