My water tastes or smells of sewage 

Find out why your water tastes or smells of sewage and what you should do next. 

A sewage drain in action

Why does my water taste of sewage?

Drinking water and wastewater are supplied by different pipes, so contamination of incoming clean water is rare. Bacteria in drains can produce sewage odours that can be released when disturbed by running water.  

What to do if your water taste or smells of sewage

Pipes

Determine the cause 

If you think your drinking water smells or tastes like sewage, this may be due to your kitchen sink drain. To test what the cause is:  

  • Fill a clean glass with water 
  • Bring it to another room of the house 
  • Smell the water 

If the smell has gone, then the odour was likely from the sink drain rather than the incoming water.  

Heron

Contact us 

If you've tested the water and the smell isn't caused by the drain, you should contact us immediately. Drinking water and toilet water are supplied by different pipes, so contamination is rare but not impossible. 

Request a callback