Griffith Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Griffith's drinking water is supplied by Griffith City Council Water, drawing from the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) supply channel network fed by Burrinjuck Dam on the Murrumbidgee River and augmented by Snowy Mountains Scheme water transfers through the Tumut system, in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Water hardness in Griffith is measured at 31.5 mg/L — classified as soft — within the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) aesthetic guideline of 200 mg/L published by NHMRC. Griffith — Australia's largest inland wine-producing city, the centre of the Riverina viticulture industry — benefits from a soft supply originating in the alpine granite catchments of the Snowy Mountains, which is treated and distributed through the MIA irrigation infrastructure to the Griffith township.

Griffith's soft supply reflects the Snowy Mountains granite and diorite geology of the Murrumbidgee River headwaters above Burrinjuck Dam. The upper Murrumbidgee catchment drains across the Kosciuszko Batholith and Snowy Mountains granite massif — among Australia's highest-elevation, most chemically resistant catchment terrain — producing extremely soft, low-mineral river supply. Burrinjuck Dam captures this soft alpine water, which is then delivered through the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area channels to Griffith with minimal additional mineral loading, producing the 31.5 mg/L at the Griffith tap.

Griffith residents enjoy very low limescale accumulation on taps and in kettles — descaling is an occasional rather than routine task. Hot water systems accumulate minimal scale. The very low TDS of 52 mg/L makes Griffith's water ideal for the local wine and food industries. Griffith City Council provides water quality information online, with all ADWG health standards consistently met. The soft supply benefits the Griffith community's large Italian-Australian wine and agricultural heritage, well suited to Griffith's vibrant food-producing culture.