A Northern Territory community is still unable to drink water from the town’s supply more than two weeks after unsafe levels of lead and manganese were detected.
The levels in Garawa 2 have subsided but remain above safety limits set by the Australian drinking water guidelines of 0.01mg/L for lead and 0.5mg/L for manganese.
The test results revealed levels of 0.011mg/L and 0.65mg/L respectively.
There is no indication the contamination is related to the nearby lead and zinc mine at McArthur River, which has previously been linked to lead levels in fish stocks around the lease site, and tests determined the contamination was not in Garawa’s bore.
The department of housing did not respond to questions on how the pipes will be tested.
A review of town camps, commissioned by the NT government and released last month, recommended millions of dollars in works to upgrade the two camps’ water supply in order to get it up to current design standards.
Residents reported to the investigators they often ran out of water, and the main tanks were too small.
“There are concerns about the condition of the storage tank and the ability of the supply to meet demands,” the report said.
“It is proposed that the Borroloola town network is extended across the river, connecting to Garawa 1 and Garawa 2 as a matter of urgency.” The estimated costs for Garawa 1 were $14,000 to maintain the current system or $3.75m to bring it up to current design standards.
In response to the report, which estimated a cost of more than $77.7m to bring all town camps up to current standard, the NT government pledged $25m in works, which began last week with upgrades in the Bagot town camp in Darwin.