THE Department of Human Services has vowed to monitor closely any reclaimed mine water that is put in Bendigo’s drinking water.
Coliban Water chief executive Geoff Michell reiterated this week treated mine water would be added to the city’s water supply if autumn rain did not come.
A DHS spokesman was unaware of the plan but said the department would have to make sure the water was fit for human consumption.
"We would have to tick it off along the way," he said.
"It is something we would work through with the authority but it is not something we would give the go-ahead to at the
moment.
"There are a whole range of steps we have to go through before we get to that position.
"We need to make sure whatever is put in place is fit for human consumption and meets the drinking water requirements we have for the state."
He said the department had not been consulted about the move.
Mr Michell said Coliban would make the plan more widely known if it decided to go ahead with it.
"There is not much point going to them before saying ‘here is the quality of water we are talking about, what do we do about it?’"
It seems Bendigo residents have accepted mine water as part of the city’s drinking supply. Only three people commented on the Bendigo Weekly website (www.bendigoweekly.com.au) about the issue, only one wrote a letter to the editor about it and the poll result, on page 12, was mixed.
