New laboratory tests have revealed the NSW Tweed region’s tap water stands shoulder-to-shoulder with leading Australian bottled water brands.
Tweed Shire Council says the comprehensive analysis by the NATA-accredited Tweed Laboratory Centre compared tap water sourced from the Tweed River near Murwillumbah against the four most popular bottled water brands in the country for pH, fluoride, mineral content, total dissolved solids and conductivity – a measure of saltiness.
The test results showed the quality and safety of Tweed tap water equalled the tested bottled water.
Tweed Shire Council Water and Wastewater Operations Manager, Brie Jowett said she was not surprised by the results.
“The rich volcanic origins of our soil are reflected in our tap water – its mineral content in particular is higher than most of the leading bottled water brands tested,” said Mrs Jowett.

“You’d be hard-pressed to buy water off-the-shelf with a better mineral content for calcium and magnesium in particular, which are important for our health.”
The test results showed Tweed tap water was also lower in sodium than the four bottled water samples tested and lower in chloride than three of the bottled water samples.
Tweed tap water was the only tested sample that contained the recommended level of fluoride for dental health, perfectly within health guidelines, and was the most alkaline water tested, with a pH of 7.9, Council said in a statement.
Mrs Jowett said the importance of the findings went beyond cost benefits and personal preferences.
“If you choose Tweed tap water over bottled water, you will save money, reduce the amount of plastic pollution in waterways and help lower the amount of pollution that’s created by the bottling process and transporting bottled water to your local shop,” she said.
“We’ve all heard about the concept of buying local. It’s time we extended that concept to water – buying local when it comes to water means choosing tap water, not bottled water.”
Find out more about the Tweed’s tap water quality at tweed.nsw.gov.au/drinking-water-quality.