Old pipes can show themselves in a glass of water: South East Water links brown water to ageing galvanised iron pipes on a property, and blue or green water to copper released from corroding copper pipes. On lead, Australia’s environmental health committee notes that some older homes may still have copper pipes joined with lead-based solder, and its advice for households is a few simple flushing habits rather than testing.
General information, not medical or plumbing advice. For water quality at your tap, contact South East Water; for health advice, see the enHealth guidance or talk to your doctor.
What the heritage records say
The Victorian Heritage Database’s statements for a row and a pair of South Yarra terraces describe substantial houses built for middle-class residents during the boom years of the 1880s and early 1890s. They note that in the better parts of Stonnington, particularly South Yarra, many free-standing houses followed the terrace form on more spacious sites.
A heritage record describes a house, not what runs inside its walls today. That depends on the work done since, and a licensed plumber can tell you what is there. The signs below are where the water corporation and the health authorities start.
What the colour of your water can mean
| What you see | What South East Water says causes it | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudy or white | Tiny, harmless air bubbles: aeration from your hot water service, or air trapped in pipes during maintenance. | Fill a glass and leave it for an hour or so. Air clears from the bottom up. If it does not, contact the corporation. |
| Brown | Rust, or natural sediment and organic material: stirred-up sediment, or ageing galvanised wrought iron (GWI) pipes on your property. It says the water is still safe. | If it is brown at the front tap, it is likely sediment from the mains: turn off all taps and run the front tap on full for no more than two minutes. If it does not clear, contact the corporation. |
| Blue or green, perhaps a metallic taste | Copper released into the water from corroding copper pipes in the home. | See the copper test below. Flush affected taps first thing in the morning, or after they have not been used for a while, until the water runs clear. |
The copper test
- First thing in the morning, run 2 to 3 litres of water at full flow into a clean white container.
- Let it stand for a few seconds.
- If the water looks blue or you can see blue particles, the copper level may be near or above 2 mg/L. South East Water says water above that level should not be drunk or used to prepare food.
If you are worried about the copper pipes in your home, the corporation asks you to contact it for advice.
Lead: what the health guidance says
The national guidance comes from enHealth, the Environmental Health Standing Committee of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, and is published by the Australian Centre for Disease Control. Its main points:
- Town drinking water supplied to homes in Australia is known to be safe, and state regulators require routine monitoring, including for lead.
- It is unusual to find drinking water service pipes containing lead in Australia, but lead is still used in some plumbing products, such as brass fittings.
- Some older homes may still have old copper pipes joined with lead-based solder. Licensed plumbers are no longer permitted to use lead-based solder.
- Lead can dissolve from some brass fittings, particularly where water has sat in contact with them for a long time, and hot water systems may carry more dissolved metals than cold.
- Infants and children are especially vulnerable, because lead can impair brain development.
- There is generally no need to have water tested for lead, except in particular circumstances such as commissioning new commercial or public buildings.
enHealth’s good practice for households
- Use water from cold taps only for drinking and cooking.
- First thing in the morning, run the cold taps you drink and cook from for at least 10 seconds, to draw fresh water through.
- After more than 48 hours without use, such as coming home from holidays, run those taps for at least 2 minutes. The flushed water can be collected and used for washing up.
enHealth says these habits also reduce exposure to other metals from plumbing, such as copper and nickel.
What changed on 1 May 2026
From 1 May 2026, copper alloy plumbing products installed in Victoria that are in contact with drinking water must be lead-free: a weighted average lead content of no more than 0.25%. Only products carrying the lead-free WaterMark can be installed in systems supplying drinking water. The BPC described Victoria as the first state in Australia to mandate lead-free plumbing products.
- What it covers. Products such as taps and mixers, flexible hose assemblies, tempering and thermostatic mixing valves, backflow prevention devices, water heaters, boiling and cooling water dispensers and water meters.
- What it does not. Non-drinking-water fixtures such as toilets and dishwashers, and showerheads, are exempt. Stainless steel tapware is lead-free by nature and does not need the lead-free mark.
- The date that counts. The rule turns on when the plumbing installation started, not when the job was designed, approved or contracted.
The rule is about what plumbers install from that date. The BPC’s guidance does not ask householders to replace fittings already in place.
Questions to ask before a renovation
- Is the plumber registered or licensed in the class this job needs? Sheet 02 shows how to check.
- Will the copper alloy products that touch drinking water carry the lead-free WaterMark?
- Will the job need a compliance certificate? It does if the total is over $750, or, among other cases, if it alters a below-ground sanitary drain, whatever the cost. Sheet 03 has the list.
- Do you have a property sewerage plan? South East Water sells one showing where the sewerage pipes run on your property.
- Before anyone digs, has Before You Dig Australia been asked for a report on the pipes and cables underground?