What's in Melbourne's tap water?
Melbourne's water carries a permanent chlorine residual — and it stays in unless you take it out.
Melbourne's water is genuinely good by national standards — soft, low TDS, clean safety record. What it does carry: a permanent chlorine residual (~0.76 mg/L — the taste, the smell, the post-shower skin) and deliberately added fluoride (~0.79 mg/L). Every figure is measured against guidelines, not laws — no Australian utility can be prosecuted for exceeding them.
Every figure comes from South East Water's published reporting — Annual Drinking Water Quality Report 2024–25. Measured where the water leaves the plant — the mains to your door are never tested.
Type your address and we'll map your suburb's own report — what's in the water when it reaches your street, and which of it is fixable at home.
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