Has Something Changed With South East Queensland’s Tap Water?
If you live in North Lakes, Mango Hill, Griffin, Kallangur or elsewhere around Moreton Bay, there has actually been a recent change to the way South East Queensland’s drinking water is treated.
In August 2026, Seqwater announced that it was adjusting the pH of drinking water supplied to Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay and parts of the Scenic Rim.
The pH is being increased from approximately 7.8 to a target of 8.4. According to Seqwater, the change is designed to improve disinfection performance, particularly during Queensland’s warmer months, increase alkalinity and help reduce corrosion within the water network. The new target remains within the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
Most households are unlikely to notice any difference at all.
But it raises an interesting question:
Why does our tap water sometimes taste or smell different, and would a water filter actually make a difference?
First: Is Moreton Bay Tap Water Safe to Drink?
Yes.
Water supplied through the South East Queensland Water Grid is treated and monitored against Australian drinking-water requirements before being distributed through water retailers such as Unitywater.
Seqwater carries out extensive monitoring across the system, while Unitywater also publishes water-quality information for customers throughout Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast and Noosa.
Installing a drinking-water filter therefore should not be approached on the assumption that ordinary mains water is unsafe.
For many households, filtration is instead about things such as:
- improving taste
- reducing noticeable chlorine taste or smell
- reducing certain aesthetic contaminants
- having filtered drinking water directly from the kitchen tap
- avoiding bottled water
- having a dedicated drinking-water system that suits the household
What a filter can achieve depends heavily on the type of filter being installed.
Why Can Tap Water Taste Different at Different Times?
South East Queensland does not necessarily receive water from exactly the same source all year.
The SEQ Water Grid connects multiple dams, treatment plants and water sources. Seqwater explains that operational requirements can mean the source supplying an area changes from week to week.
Weather can also influence the characteristics of raw water entering the treatment system.
For example, naturally occurring compounds known as geosmin and MIB can sometimes produce an earthy or grassy taste or smell, particularly following hot and rainy conditions.
Seqwater advises that these compounds can affect taste without making properly treated drinking water unsafe.
There is also another taste many homeowners will immediately recognise.
Why Can I Taste Chlorine in Tap Water?
Chlorine is used as part of the drinking-water disinfection process.
At times, some people are simply more sensitive to its taste or smell than others.
Seqwater notes that operational adjustments can sometimes make chlorine more noticeable, despite levels continuing to comply with drinking-water requirements. Unitywater similarly advises that customers may occasionally be able to taste or smell the chlorine used to maintain disinfection.
If the smell suddenly becomes unusually strong or you notice another significant change in the colour, taste or smell of your water, that is different. It is worth contacting your water provider or having the property investigated if the issue appears isolated to your home.
Will a Water Filter Remove the Chlorine Taste?
The right filter can reduce it.
This is where understanding the type of filter matters.
Seqwater specifically notes that carbon filtration can decrease taste and odour, while a sediment filter alone will not have the same effect on taste and smell.
Activated carbon is commonly used in drinking-water filtration because compounds responsible for unwanted tastes and odours can be adsorbed onto the carbon media as water passes through it.
But that does not mean every household needs the most complicated filtration system available.
Whole-House Filtration or Just the Kitchen Tap?
For a lot of households, filtering every litre of water entering the property simply is not necessary.
Think about where you actually want filtered water.
Most people are primarily concerned about the water they:
- drink
- use in the kettle
- use for coffee or tea
- cook with
- put into reusable drink bottles
That makes a point-of-use drinking-water filter installed beneath the kitchen sink a practical option for many homes.
Instead of filtering water being used for toilets, garden taps, showers and washing machines, the system concentrates on the water being consumed in the kitchen.
Do I Need a Separate Filter Tap?
Not necessarily.
Traditionally, an under-sink filter often meant installing a small additional drinking-water tap beside the existing kitchen mixer.
Another option is a three-way kitchen mixer.
A three-way tap can provide:
- normal hot water
- normal cold water
- filtered drinking water
through the one kitchen tap while maintaining a separate internal path for the filtered water.
It can be a particularly neat solution for renovated or modern kitchens where homeowners do not want another fitting drilled through the benchtop.
What About Water Hardness?
Water hardness is another subject that often gets mixed up with filtration.
Water naturally contains minerals including calcium and magnesium. Unitywater provides postcode-specific water-quality information that homeowners can use to understand characteristics such as hardness in their local supply.
A standard carbon drinking-water filter and a water-softening system are not the same thing.
If your concern is scale, mineral deposits or another specific water characteristic, the filtration system needs to be selected for that particular objective rather than simply installing a generic filter.
What If the Water Only Tastes Strange at One Tap?
This is an important distinction.
If the water tastes or smells different throughout your neighbourhood, the issue may be related to the wider supply.
If it only occurs at your kitchen tap, bathroom basin or one part of your home, the cause could be within the property itself.
Potential causes can include:
- old flexible hoses
- tapware
- stagnant water in little-used pipework
- existing filter cartridges that need replacement
- pipe materials
- localised plumbing contamination
- hot water system issues if only the hot supply is affected
That is why it is useful to determine whether you actually have a filtration preference or a plumbing problem before replacing equipment.
Has the 2026 pH Change Made a Water Filter Necessary?
No.
The Seqwater adjustment does not mean South East Queensland households suddenly need to install water filtration systems.
The target pH of approximately 8.4 remains within Australian drinking-water requirements, and Seqwater says most customers should not notice a difference in taste or smell.
But the announcement is a useful reminder that the water coming from your tap is part of a much larger treatment and distribution system, and its taste can naturally vary.
If you prefer the taste of filtered water, regularly purchase bottled water or simply want filtered drinking water available directly at the kitchen sink, a correctly selected point-of-use filtration system can be a worthwhile upgrade.
Thinking About Filtered Water in Your Kitchen?
RJT Plumbing & Gas Solutions can help homeowners across North Lakes, Mango Hill, Griffin, Kallangur, Murrumba Downs, Narangba, Burpengary and surrounding Moreton Bay suburbs with kitchen plumbing and drinking-water filtration installations.
Depending on your existing kitchen setup, we can look at options including an under-sink drinking-water filter, dedicated filter tap or three-way mixer that supplies hot, cold and filtered drinking water from one fixture.
The important part is choosing a system based on what you actually want to achieve rather than simply assuming a more expensive or complicated filtration system must be better.
If you are considering adding filtered drinking water to your kitchen, contact RJT Plumbing & Gas Solutions and we can assess the existing plumbing and talk through the options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has the tap water changed in Moreton Bay in 2026?
Seqwater began adjusting the pH of drinking water supplied through parts of the South East Queensland Water Grid in August 2026, increasing it from approximately 7.8 towards a target of 8.4. Moreton Bay customers receive their local water services through Unitywater, which distributes treated bulk water supplied through the broader SEQ system.
Is tap water in Moreton Bay safe to drink?
Yes. Drinking water supplied in Moreton Bay is treated and monitored against Australian drinking water requirements. Water filtration is generally used to improve characteristics such as taste and odour rather than because ordinary mains drinking water is considered unsafe.
Why does my tap water sometimes taste or smell different?
Tap water taste and odour can vary because of changes in water sources, treatment conditions, weather, naturally occurring compounds and chlorine used for disinfection. If a change only occurs at one tap, the cause may instead be within the property's plumbing.
Can a water filter reduce the chlorine taste in tap water?
Activated carbon filtration can help reduce chlorine taste and odour in drinking water. A sediment filter alone is designed for particles and generally does not provide the same improvement in taste or smell.
Do I need a whole-house water filtration system?
Not necessarily. Many households are primarily interested in filtering water used for drinking, cooking, tea and coffee. In these cases, an under-sink point-of-use filtration system may be more practical than filtering every litre of water entering the property.
Can I have filtered water through my normal kitchen tap?
Yes. A three-way kitchen mixer can provide normal hot water, normal cold water and filtered drinking water through a single tap while keeping the filtered water pathway separate internally.
Why does the water taste strange from only one tap?
If the taste or smell is isolated to one fixture, the cause may be within the property. Possible causes include tapware, flexible hoses, stagnant water, old filter cartridges, pipe materials or an issue affecting the hot water system.
