Response to Friends of the Earth Press Release

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Westernport Water rejects the misleading report recently released by Friends of the Earth and confirms it produces drinking water in accordance with Victoria’s Safe Drinking Water Act 2003.

Westernport Water has recently featured in a report put together by Friends of the Earth’s Melbourne Office, by Mr Anthony Amis, where it has been accused of breaching Australian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines.
Westernport Water rejects the misleading report by Friends of the Earth. The data presented has been skewed and is not representative of long-term results,” said Murray Jackson Managing Director of Westernport Water.
In a response to the accusations made by Friends of the Earth, the Department of Health (DoH) has indicated that the available data shows that the drinking water supplied by Westernport Water does not pose a risk to human health and is safe to drink.
 “Health-based guideline values are based on lifetime exposure; therefore, short term excursions above a guideline value do not pose a risk to public health,” said Mr Jackson.
“The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) is the authoritative reference for drinking water quality in the Australian context, not the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.  The ADWG sets a guideline value for total trihalomethanes, and Westernport Water aims to comply with that value.
“Westernport Water is subject to a rigorous water quality testing regime and is obligated to comply with the requirements of Victoria’s Safe Drinking Water Act 2003, which requires compliance with both Victoria’s water quality standards and the health-based guideline values in the ADWG.
 “All instances of non-compliance with either Victoria’s water quality standards or the health-based guideline values in the ADWG are reported to the Department of Health Victoria.  Westernport Water responds to any instances of non-compliance, and always aims to supply drinking water that complies with the standards and guideline values.
“Water supplied by Westernport Water is in accordance with Victoria’s Safe Drinking Water Act 2003, anddoes not pose a risk to human health and is safe to drink,” said Mr Jackson.

“Westernport Water is aware of similar allegations having been made in relation to water quality produced by other Water Corporations, unnecessarily worrying the community to pursue a specific agenda,” said Mr Jackson.
A recent study conducted by the National Toxicology Program in the US has shown that BDCM is not carcinogenic when present in drinking water.
Therefore, based on the results of the NTP study, there is no evidence that the short-term exposures to BDCM that are detailed in the Friends of the Earth report would pose a risk to human health.
Westernport Water’s drinking water quality results are publicly available and can be found on the Corporation’s website www.westernportwater.com.au. Alternatively, customers may email questions to Westernport Water’s – Water Quality Officer Jake Weir: jweir@westernportwater.com.au   
Questions about Victoria’s Safe Drinking Water Act 2003 should be directed to the Department of Health Victoria email: water@health.vic.gov.au website: www.health.vic.gov.au or ph: 1300 761 874