Australia Weather News
When a boiled water alert is issued, residents in the affected area are asked to boil any water that will be consumed. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)
A boiled water alert has been issued for Darwin and its surrounding areas due to the flooding of Darwin River Dam.
On Monday residents were urged to reduce their water usage following the stalling of water pumps at the city's main dam.
On Tuesday a boil water alert was issued for "all water dispensed from midday today".
Boil water alerts are also in place for the Northern Territory town of Katherine, as well as Wugularr (Beswick) and Tindal, as the region grapples with the aftermath of a major flood.
What is a boiled water alert?
NT Health recommends using cooled boil water or bottled water for:
Residents are also being urged to conserve the water supply for those uses.
Why is this happening?
Power and Water Corporation said the issue was caused by flash flooding and a "heavy wet season" that lead to the dam being at more than 110 per cent capacity.
Heavy rainfall on Monday caused flooding of the dam's pump station and associated equipment.
John Pease, the acting chief executive of PWC, said the organisation had engineers "working into the night to look at alternative options" to get the pump station back online.
"The protection systems we had in place worked as expected," Mr Pease said.
"They shut off the pumps to save damage to the pumps, but that means until the water recedes, the pumps will stay off until we can get an interim solution in place."
Mr Pearse said in the meantime PWC had increased supply from its bore fields in rural areas which delivers water to Darwin and surrounding areas alongside the Darwin River Dam system.
Can I shower or wash my hands?
Yes.
NT government advice states unboiled tap water can still be used for washing dishes and clothes, bathing and other household tasks — just avoid swallowing the water.
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines adds that for young children — who are more prone to swallowing bath or shower water — sponge bathing is advised "as a precaution".
Can I use a water filter or filtration tablets?
For household water filters, the short answer is no.
National guidance generally advises that filters should not be relied upon.
NSW Health advice states even in commercial kitchens, water should be boiled before being used for cooking and that any filter used needs to be "certified against an appropriate standard".
However, NT Health did offer an exception, saying that "quick boil and chilled water taps installed in office buildings are safe to drink from".
As for filtration tablets — which includes chlorine tablets — the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines recommends using them "if it is not possible to boil water".
ABC