PFAS: Power and Water company confirm no PFAS in Darwin drinking water

A report from the eastern seaboard has named Darwin’s tap water among multiple across the country as containing a cancer-causing chemical – but Power and Water have said no such chemicals have been detected.

Darwin has been named as one of 34 locations in which its water supply has been branded as contaminated.

Power and Water corporation (PWC) have reassured Darwin residents their tap water is safe to drink amid a resurfacing of a report that stated the Top End’s drinking water contained PFAS.

A report published by Nine Newspapers on Tuesday stated Darwin and the greater Northern Territory was one of 34 locations across Australia in which PFAS was present in drinking water.

The report by Nine was based off a study published 13 years ago by the University of Queensland which said water in parts of Sydney, Canberra, inner-city Adelaide, greater Hobart had detected the presence of PFAS.

PFAS has been linked to certain cancers.

However, a PWC spokesperson told this masthead there was no PFAS in Darwin’s drinking water.

In 2018, the Australian Defence Force completed an investigation into the levels of PFAS situated on and around RAAF Base Darwin. Picture: Department of Defence.

“Power and Water is committed to providing safe, sustainable and secure drinking water for all Territorians,” a spokeswoman said.

“Power and Water has a drinking water monitoring program, approved by NT Health and under the framework of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.”

More broadly, PWC has previously conducted sample extractions in the Northern Territory’s water supply in an effort to test for PFAS.

Concerns regarding the levels of PFAS found in groundwater in the Kathereine rural area made headlines in 2016 after the Australian Defence Force stated they had detected a low level of PFAS contamination in a private water bore near Katherine.

Likewise in 2018, water supplies on RAAF Base Darwin was examined and found to be low risk, with contamination also attributed to firefighting foams.