A FAULTY valve has been blamed for delivering dirty tap water to 1200 Frankston South households last week.
On 3 August, South East Water issued a “boil water advisory” to Frankston South residents. The impacted area was from Baden Powell Drive back to the foreshore, between Humphries Road and Violet Street.
On 6 August, South East Water finally declared the water safe to drink. They encouraged Frankston South residents to flush their taps for five minutes to ensure the issue was rectified.
South East Water has blamed a faulty valve. In a statement it said “the issue was due to a faulty valve causing low water pressure from Sunday 3 August which has now been repaired. “A faulty valve can cause unusually low pressure or no water and can let dirty water and/or sediment into the water pipes. Boiling the water kills any contaminants that might be there.”
South East Water service delivery general manager Tim Lloyd said “we want to again apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused and thank them for their patience.” “We take our responsibility to provide safe and reliable drinking water seriously,” he said. “We don’t issue these advisories lightly – customer health and safety will always be our number one priority.”
South East Water will apply a $90 credit to the South East Water account of each property affected by last week’s water issues in Frankston South.
In Langwarrin, a damaged pipe on Myrtle Street required South East Water crews to attend last week. Water was delivered with “natural sediment”, although South East Water confirmed it was still safe to use and drink. South East Water also investigated reports of gastro from people who attended Emil Madsen Reserve in Mt Eliza last month – it said its test results “confirm our water network is functioning correctly, including the water supply to the sporting precinct”. (“Gastro outbreak sparks health concerns” The Times 5/8/2025)
To contact South East Water about the boil water advisory contact 13 28 12 or visit www.southeastwater.com.au.
First published in the Frankston Times – 12 August 2025