Arabic version: الإبلاغ عن مياه برتقالية بعد انفجار خط رئيسي في ساندي باي

According to ABC News, residents in Hobart’s Sandy Bay reported thick, orange water from taps on Tuesday after a 60-year-old water main burst on Regent Street.

Emma Thornley said her washing came out with dark-orange stains and that water from her kitchen tap was dark browny-orange. After it initially cleared, she said water used to fill her kettle was gritty and had a foul taste. She said TasWater initially told her the liquid was safe to drink and contained sediment, but a crew on her street advised her not to drink a bottle she showed them.

Glen Christensen, who lives about 2 kilometres from the emergency works, said sediment made water dirty when he tried to run a bath for his two-year-old granddaughter. He said he followed advice to run an outdoor tap, but it did not help. After a significant pressure drop while the shower was running, the water became clear.

TasWater said crews responded at about 9.45am, restored supply to most affected properties by 11.30am and to all properties by 5.30pm. Head of communications and engagement Liz Hafner said sediment can settle in pipes after an outage and crews flush pipes after supply is restored. She said initial advice that the water was safe reflected information available at the time, but advice was updated after TasWater learned of the level of discolouration.

Hafner said much of Hobart’s water infrastructure, including in Sandy Bay, is aging. TasWater plans to invest $1.2 billion in essential infrastructure across Tasmania over the next four years.