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Cloudy or white water

Your water supply can sometimes appear ‘cloudy’. This is caused by tiny, compressed air bubbles which usually disappear after leaving a glass of water to stand for a few minutes. 

Cloudy water

  • A ‘white’, ‘cloudiness’ or ‘milky’ look to your water appears when pockets of air, trapped in the main, get compressed after the main is refilled following a burst. This air combines with the water and is released when you turn on your taps.  

    Following significant bursts, you can sometimes even see and hear this air ‘fizzing’ as it releases from the surface of the water in a glass.  

  • From your kitchen sink, fill a clear glass with water and leave it to stand for a few minutes. If the cloudiness clears from the bottom to the top as pictured above, this is just trapped air and is nothing to worry about.  

    This air will naturally clear from your system as you use water. Following significant bursts, this can sometimes cause ‘spluttering’ at your taps as the larger pockets of air escape through your taps.  

Watch our video to hear from our water quality experts on what to do if you're experiencing 'milky' or 'cloudy' tap water.

Check for issues in your area

Check if there are any active incidents happening in your area that may be impacting your water supply.

Yellow, brown or orange water

Discoloured water can range from a light, straw-yellow colour to a dark brown and even seem to have bits in it.

Other coloured tap water

If your water is blue, pink, green or any other unusual bright colour, please do not drink or use your water for cooking.

Small particles in your water

Occasionally, you may see “tiny particles” or “bits” in your tap water. In most cases this is not harmful and is usually short lived.