bg water solutions
Bore Water Filtration and Treatment Across NSW
Bore water filtration starts with a water test, not a catalogue. Groundwater across New South Wales carries iron, manganese, hardness, sediment, salinity and sometimes bacteria in combinations that vary from one aquifer to the next, and a system designed for the wrong problem is money spent on the wrong problem. BG Water Solutions tests your bore water first, then designs and installs the treatment that matches what is actually in it.
We treat bore water for households, stock, irrigation and commercial use across NSW and the ACT, and we have done it alongside our drilling and pump work since 2008. If we drilled the bore, the water test is part of the job. If we did not, bring us the bore and we will test it.
What is in NSW bore water, and what it does
Iron and manganese
The most common bore water complaint in NSW. Rust coloured staining on concrete, fixtures and washing, a metallic taste, and black or brown deposits in tanks and pipework. Iron bacteria thrive on it and build a slime that blocks screens, filters and drip emitters. Treated by oxidation and filtration, sized to the concentration in your water.
Hardness
Calcium and magnesium. Scale in hot water systems, kettles, pumps and irrigation lines, which cuts flow and shortens equipment life. Treated by softening or scale control, depending on what the water is for.
Sediment and turbidity
Fine sand, silt and clay. Blocks drip irrigation, wears pump impellers and clouds the water. Sometimes a bore water filtration job, sometimes a sign the bore itself needs attention, and we will tell you which.
Bacteria
Groundwater is not automatically safe to drink. Bores near septic systems or stockyards, or with failed headworks, can carry bacteria. Treated by disinfection after the water has been filtered clear, and confirmed by testing.
Salinity
Dissolved salts affect taste, crop tolerance and soil. Some bore water is too saline for sensitive crops regardless of treatment, which is worth knowing before you plant. We will tell you what the numbers mean for your intended use rather than sell a system that cannot fix it.
How we design a system
- Test the water. A laboratory analysis of your bore water: iron, manganese, hardness, pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids and bacteria. Without it, any system is a guess.
- Match the treatment to the use. Water for a household has to meet drinking water guidelines. Water for drip irrigation needs to be clean enough not to block emitters. Stock water has different limits again. The system is designed to the standard the use requires, not beyond it.
- Size it to the flow. A treatment system that cannot keep up with the pump starves the supply. We design against the bore’s actual yield and the peak demand of the property.
- Install and commission. Filtration, softening and disinfection as required, plumbed into the supply after the pump and before the tanks or the irrigation.
- Test again. Post treatment analysis confirms the water is what the system was designed to deliver, and gives you the paperwork.
- Service. Filter media, disinfection units and softener salt all need attention on a schedule. We set the schedule and can carry it out.
Bore water filtration for every use
- Household and drinking water. Sediment, iron and manganese removal, softening and disinfection to bring bore water to drinking standard.
- Stock water. Iron and sediment removal so troughs and lines stay clear and the water stays palatable.
- Irrigation. Fine filtration to protect drip and spray emitters, iron control to stop bacterial slime, and a salinity check before crops go in.
- Commercial and industrial. Treatment designed to the process requirement, with the documentation compliance requires.
- Rainwater. Filtration and disinfection for harvested rainwater used for household, stock or irrigation.
The bore, the pump and the water, from one team
Filtration is the last step in a chain that starts with the licence and the drilling. When the bore, the pump and the treatment are designed together, the pump is sized to feed the treatment system, the treatment system is sized to the bore’s yield, and nobody is guessing at the water chemistry, because we drilled through the aquifer that produced it.
If you need the bore drilled, see water bore drilling. If the pump is the problem, see bore pump installation. If you need the licence sorted first, we do that too. If you already have the bore and the pump and the water is the issue, this is the page you need.
Bore water treatment questions
Is bore water safe to drink?
Not automatically. It depends on the aquifer and how the bore was built. Iron, manganese, hardness and salinity are common, and bacteria can be present. Test the water first. Most bore water can be brought to drinking standard with the right treatment.
Why does my bore water stain everything orange?
Dissolved iron, oxidising when the water meets air. Very common in NSW groundwater. Treated by oxidation and filtration sized to the iron concentration in your water.
Can bore water be used for drip irrigation?
Yes, with filtration to protect the emitters and iron control to stop bacterial slime. Salinity should be checked against the tolerance of the crop before planting.
Do I need a water test before buying a filter?
Yes. Bore water chemistry varies enormously between aquifers, and a system designed for the wrong contaminant does nothing. A laboratory analysis is the first step and it is a small cost relative to the system.
How often does a filtration system need servicing?
It depends on the system and the water. Sediment filters and iron media need periodic replacement, disinfection units need annual attention, softeners need salt. We set the schedule when we install.
Can you treat a bore someone else drilled?
Yes. We test the water, design the treatment and install it. Whoever drilled the bore does not change the water chemistry.
Not sure what is in your bore water? Call 0408 915 449 or send an enquiry. We will arrange a water test and tell you what it needs, and what it does not.