Tank water: How to protect yourself from gastro, toxic metals and more

Beautiful, pure rainwater is nature's gift of hydration from the heavens, right?

Many Australians rely on rainwater for drinking,
so it's important to know how to keep that water safe

Well, not quite. Experts say untreated rainwater is considered not safe for human consumption.

Between the bacteria that can thrive in water tanks and the toxic metal traces that can be found in roof runoff, the official advice is that rainwater should be your last choice if you have access to other sources of treated water.

"There is this public view that rainwater is clean and yummy and tasty but it really depends on how you collect it," said Michael Oelgemoeller, a water treatment researcher from James Cook University.

"I would not drink it for sure. It's recommended for dishwashers, for toilets, for gardening but drinking is a different story.”

Flinders University environmental health researcher Kirstin Ross, who recently conducted a review of tank water around Adelaide, said that although there was no evidence of increased gastrointestinal illness as a result of using rainwater tanks for drinking water, the microbes are present in the water.

Read the ABC News story by Tegan Taylor - “Tank water: How to protect yourself from gastro, toxic metals and more.”