BUNDABERG Mayor Jack Dempsey has called on the Department of Environment and Science to investigate how PFAS chemicals got into part of the region’s water supply.
Posting on Facebook this morning, Cr Dempsey said Bundaberg Regional Council wanted to know "how, where and when this chemical entered the groundwater".
Late last week authorities advised the community that tap water in the Svensson Heights area had been contaminated with PFAS chemicals.
The bore that supplies water to this area has been turned off with water now supplied from another source.
"The news last week that water from one bore in Bundaberg had high levels of PFAS came as a shock," Cr Dempsey says.
"I want to assure the community their water is now safe to drink.
We want the Department of Environment and Science to investigate and report to the public as quickly as possible."
"They are now dealing with anxiety and fear, so it’s little consolation to hear from health experts that there is only a low risk," Cr Dempsey said.
"PFAS is an emerging issue for health and water authorities following revelations from Defence bases.
Research into human impacts is ongoing and inconclusive.