The onset of the wet season in the Northern Territory brings intense weather and welcome relief from the build-up, but also a unique set of challenges for your water quality, whether you rely on town supply, bore water, or rainwater tanks. Maintaining high-quality water is essential not just for drinking and personal health, but also for protecting valuable household appliances, plumbing, and irrigation equipment from damage, corrosion, and scale build-up.
At Think Water Darwin, we know that when the rain starts, the real water issues begin. We specialise in identifying and solving these seasonal changes with reliable filtration and treatment systems.
1. Town Water: The Turbidity Challenge
Darwin’s town water supply is rigorously treated. However, the intense monsoonal downpours cause significant runoff and agitation in the water source, affecting quality downstream.
- Increased colour and sediment: Heavy rain washes dissolved organic matter, sediment, and silt from surrounding soils into reservoirs. This can lead to a noticeable yellowish or brownish colour and a murky appearance at your tap.
- Taste and odour changes: This influx of organic matter can cause an earthy or musty taste and odour, even after treatment at the plant. While generally still safe to drink, the change in quality is often unpleasant.
- Protection is key: Many residents opt for an added layer of filtration to remove temporary colour, sediment, and the residual chlorine taste, ensuring crystal-clear water regardless of the weather.
2. Bore Water: The Recharge Revolution
For the thousands of residents in the Darwin rural area who rely on groundwater, the wet season presents a different set of challenges associated with rapid aquifer recharge.
- Contaminant influx: Heavy rainfall infiltrates the soil, carrying surface contaminants, like pesticides, fertilisers, and bacteria from septic systems, more quickly into the shallow aquifers.
- Water chemistry shifts: The change in water flow can temporarily alter the water’s pH, salinity, and mineral content, affecting its suitability for irrigation and household use.
- System risk: Strong downpours and runoff can cause erosion near bores, increasing the risk of sediment and organic matter entering the casing, potentially damaging your pump and irrigation systems.
3. Rainwater Tanks: Washing Contaminants In
For those collecting rainwater, the initial heavy downpours act like a massive flush, washing contaminants off your roof before the water settles in your tank.
- First flush contamination: Debris, leaves, bird droppings, and dust accumulated during the long dry season are all washed directly into the tank, leading to a sudden spike in bacteria and sediment.
- Sediment build-up: Over a sustained wet period, large volumes of water can quickly fill the tank with fine silt, requiring more frequent maintenance and filtration to protect internal pumps.
Solutions for Every Drop: Your Wet Season Protection Plan
At Think Water Darwin, we don’t just notice the changes, we help solve them. We provide and supply tailored filtration solutions from world-leading brands to ensure you have clean, reliable water all year round.
When seeking a complete solution for home water quality, we recommend Puretec filtration systems. Puretec offers innovative, multi-stage filtration solutions, including the popular Hybrid-G series, which combines advanced sediment and carbon filtration with powerful UV disinfection. These whole-of-house systems are ideal for treating rainwater and bore water, reliably eliminating 99.99% of bacteria and removing heavy sediment and contaminants that spike during the wet season.
Don’t wait for the first big storm to find out your water quality has dropped. Contact Think Water Darwin today and ask us about our range of filtration and treatment systems to protect your family, your equipment, and your peace of mind this wet season.