Bribie Island water quality

How does Unitywater ensure water quality?

Unitywater has a sampling schedule where we continuously monitor water quality through analysers at the Bribie Island water reservoir and take weekly lab samples to confirm water quality.

We have dedicated water quality and network engineering teams monitoring these results and the water continues to adhere to Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWGs) and normal water quality ranges on Bribie Island. 

We have also carried out additional sampling at Bellara in response to water quality concerns and the readings remained within the parameters of the ADWGs. 
Unitywater publishes a comprehensive breakdown of water quality by individual drinking water supply scheme through our Drinking Water Quality Performance Reports. You can also search for suburb-specific water quality information by inputting your postcode. Read more about what's in your water.

How is water testing carried out?

Our water quality testing is conducted in accordance with nationally or internationally recognised standard methods including:

• Australia Standard/ New Zealand Standard: AS/NZS
• National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA)
• United States Environmental Protection Agency
• National Standard Method: Health Protection Agency (2005)
• American Public Health Association: APHA Standard Methods.

Across our service area, we carried out 140,606 water quality tests from 9,279 samples taken throughout more than 6,000km of our water network in 2024-25. 

Why is chlorine added to the drinking water supply?

Chlorine is commonly used around the world to disinfect drinking water supplies. Chlorine is a simple, reliable, effective and, above all else, safe way to disinfect drinking water supplies to protect against contamination by microbiological organisms. The water supplied by the Bribie Island water reservoir is treated with chlorine.

While some consumers may be sensitive to the taste, odour or perceived effects of chlorinated water, the ADWG identifies disinfection as a critical control point and states that disinfection should not be compromised. The protection of public health from microbiological contamination takes precedence, provided chlorine concentrations remain within accepted drinking water guideline values.

Normal chlorine concentrations in our drinking water pipeline systems will range up to 1.5 mg/L. The samples taken at Bribie Island over the past six months (January 2026 – July 2026) had an average total chlorine of 0.808 mg/L.

Chloramination is an alternative disinfection process used widely around the world, which involves adding controlled doses of chlorine and ammonia to the water supply. Some parts of Unitywater’s network receive water that is disinfected by chloramination, but Bribie Island does not.

Read more about what's in your water. 

What is Unitywater doing?

Our regular water quality monitoring program ensures that we’re testing the water regularly as required by the Public Health Regulation 2018 and published in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011.

This means we’re testing the water in Bribie Island on a weekly basis. 

The chlorine level remains well within the ADWGs and some people will be more sensitive than others to any exposure. Lots of people, especially older people, get itchy skin this time of year when it’s drier. Taking shorter showers at a lower water temperature and using less soap and more moisturiser will help manage itchy skin. 

If you have any concerns about your health, please call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84). If you have any further water quality concerns about the water supply in Bribie Island, please email customer.relations@unitywater.com