Glossary - what makes up your water

Aluminium may be present in water through natural leaching from soil and rock, however there’s no risk to health, and no health limits are set out in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. If excess aluminium salts (for example, alum) are left over after they’re used as part of the cleaning and treatment process this can sometimes alter the water’s appearance, making it a slightly milky colour. We closely monitor the treatment process to ensure aluminium - acid soluble levels are as low as possible. The national aesthetic limit is 0.2 milligrams per litre.

Ammonia is added to some of South Australia’s drinking water systems which are chloraminated, a treatment ensuring your tap water is clean and safe to drink. There’s no health risk, so no national health limit. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines sets an aesthetic limit of 0.5 milligrams per litre so that corrosion of copper pipes and fittings is prevented. Our drinking waters are consistently below this limit.

Can sometimes be present in drinking waters, usually in low concentrations, if there’s been contact with antimony-tin solder. All South Australia’s tap waters are consistently below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines health limit of 0.003 milligrams per litre, and lead-based solders are no longer permitted to be used by licensed plumbers in Australia.

A naturally occurring element found in water, food and soil. It’s sometimes found in surface water, usually in low levels, but it can occur in higher levels in some groundwater sources. It can also be in water because of contamination from industrial waste such as mining and agriculture. We use specific treatment methods to remove arsenic from the water, and this ensures all South Australia’s tap waters are consistently lower than the national health limit of 0.01 milligrams per litre.

A naturally occurring element, found in low levels in South Australia’s drinking water supplies. The Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit for barium is 2 milligrams per litre and our drinking waters are consistently well below this.

This is a naturally occurring element that comes from weathering of rocks and atmospheric deposition (burning of fossil fuels). It’s present in very low levels in South Australian drinking water supplies. The Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit for it is 0.06 milligrams per litre and our drinking water supplies are consistently well below that.

Boron is naturally present in all water, with slightly higher concentrations associated with seawater. South Australian drinking waters are consistently lower than the Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit of 4 milligrams per litre.

Elevated cadmium levels can be caused by industrial or agricultural contamination or from impurities in galvanised fittings, solders and brasses.  South Australian drinking waters are consistently lower than the Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit of 0.002 milligrams per litre.

A by-product of disinfection, created when chemicals added to drinking water to protect public health react with natural organic material (such as leaves and small particles of earth) sometimes present in source water. The national health limit for chloral hydrate is 100 micrograms per litre and South Australian drinking waters are consistently below this.

Like chlorine, chloramine destroys bacteria and other pathogens that can be present in source water and ensures tap water is clean and safe to drink. This is the amount of monochloramine (NH2Cl) present, a mixture of chlorine and ammonia. Because chloramine is better than chlorine at penetrating longer pipes it’s used in longer water distribution systems across the state. Plus, it makes the water taste better. All South Australia’s chloraminated water systems are consistently lower than the national health limit of 5 milligrams per litre.

Chlorite is a by-product of chlorine dioxide disinfection. Because we don’t use this to treat any of South Australian waters, our tap waters always contain below the national health limit of 0.8 milligrams per litre.

A by-product of disinfection, created when chemicals added to protect public health react with source water which might contain naturally occurring humic and fulvic acids which can be released from soils. South Australian drinking water supplies are consistently lower than the national health limit of 150 micrograms per litre for it.

Elevated chromium levels can be because of industrial or agricultural contamination or from corrosion of pipes. South Australian drinking waters are consistently lower than the Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit of 0.05 milligrams per litre.

If there’s copper in drinking water it’s most likely from corrosion of pipes and fittings. At levels higher than 1 milligram per litre it may stain your taps and fittings, more than 2 milligrams could cause health issues in some people, and at 3 milligrams per litre it can change the taste of the water slightly. All South Australia’s drinking waters consistently pass the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines limits for copper, which is 2 milligram per litre for health and 1 milligrams per litre for aesthetics.

Can be present in drinking water if source water is contaminated or through the natural decomposition of some plants. Some microorganisms can produce cyanide too, however, South Australian drinking water supplies are always lower than the national health limit of 0.08 milligrams per litre.

A by-product of disinfection, created when chemicals added to protect public health react with source water which might contain naturally occurring humic and fulvic acids which can be released from soils. South Australian drinking water supplies consistently contain lower than the national health limit of 100 micrograms per litre.

A naturally occurring element which can be present in water because of leaching from salts and mineral deposits. The Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit for iodide is 0.5 milligrams per litre and South Australia’s drinking waters are consistently below than this.

A rare earth element which can occur naturally in water from weathering of rock. It is used as a phosphate binder to reduce algal blooms in reservoirs, as an agriculture fertiliser or it can leach from the tailings of rare earth mining. South Australian drinking waters are consistently lower than the Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit of 0.002 milligrams per litre.

Natural release of mercury into drinking water is extremely low, but contamination can result from industrial emissions or spills.  The Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit for mercury is 0.001 milligrams per litre and all of South Australia’s drinking water are well below this.

Naturally occurring in ground and surface waters but usually at very low levels.  Higher levels can be associated with mining, fertilisers or fly ash deposits from coal fuelled power stations.  The Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit for molybdenum is 0.05 milligrams per litre and South Australian drinking water supplies are well below this.

A by-product of disinfection, created when chemicals added to make the water safe to drink (particularly chloramine), react with some organic compounds. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines health limit for NDMA is 100 nanograms per litre and South Australia’s drinking waters are consistently below this limit.

The likely source of any nickel in drinking water is from nickel-plated tap and plumbing fittings. The national health limit for nickel is 0.02 milligrams per litre and South Australian drinking waters are consistently lower than this.

Naturally present usually in low levels in surface water but can occur in higher levels in some of South Australia’s ground water sources. All our drinking waters are consistently below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines health limit of 50 milligrams per litre, which ensures the water is safe for bottle fed babies. Adults and babies over 3 months old can safely drink water with up to 100 milligrams per litre.

A pesticide which is unlikely to be found in drinking water at levels that could cause health concerns. The Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit for it is 10 micrograms per litre and South Australian drinking waters are consistently well below this.

Selenium is a chemical that’s nutritionally essential for humans, and it’s naturally present in low concentrations in water sources across South Australia. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines sets a health limit of 0.01 milligrams per litre and our drinking waters are consistently below this.

Silica is a naturally occurring and common mineral that forms the major component of most rocks and soils. It’s naturally present in surface water, usually in low levels, but can occur in higher levels in some of the state’s groundwater sources. There’s no national health limit for silica in drinking water, however, because it can cause unwanted build up on glass surfaces, the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines sets an aesthetic limit of 80 milligrams per litre for it.

Concentrations of this precious metal in natural source water is generally very low. South Australia’s drinking waters are consistently well below the national health limit for silver which is 0.1 milligrams per litre.

A  by-product of disinfection, created when chemicals added to make tap water safe to drink react with water containing naturally occurring humic and fulvic acids which can be released from soils. South Australia’s drinking waters are consistently lower than the Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit of 100 micrograms per litre.

Uranium may sometimes be present in the environment as a result of leaching from soil, rocks and natural deposits or from mining activities, combustion of coal and phosphate fertilisers. South Australia’s drinking waters are consistently lower than the health limit of 0.017 milligrams per litre set by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

A by-product of disinfection, created when chemicals added to protect public health (particularly chlorine) react with water which may contain phenol or related chemicals, which may be in source waters in very low concentrations because of some herbicides. All South Australia’s drinking waters are always well below the Australian Drinking Water Guideline health (20 micrograms per litre) and aesthetic (2 micrograms per litre) limits.

A by-product of disinfection, created when chemicals added to protect public health (particularly chlorine) react with water which may contain phenol or related chemicals, which may be in source waters in very low concentrations because of some herbicides. All South Australia’s drinking waters are consistently lower than the Australian Drinking Water Guideline health limit (200 micrograms per litre) and aesthetic limit (0.3 micrograms per litre).

A by-product of disinfection, created when chemicals added to protect public health (particularly chlorine) react with water which may contain phenol or related chemicals, which may be in source waters in very low concentrations because of some herbicides. All South Australia’s drinking waters are consistently below the national health limit (300 micrograms per litre) and the aesthetic limit (0.1 micrograms per litre).