The “brown water” affecting Prospect and Cedar Park homes is safe to drink, an independent test commissioned by The Royal Gazette; has confirmed.

Our results show that two samples, collected from hot and cold kitchen taps in sterilised bottles at an Alexandra Road address, were of an acceptable standard in all categories but one.

This is according to guidelines laid out by the World Health Organisation, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Bermuda Government.

The only unacceptable category was the turbidity, or cloudiness, of the hot water, which was found to be more than double the WHO recommended limit, although this alone does not affect its drinkability.

Last week, Progressive Labour Party MPs Dennis Lister and Diallo Rabain criticised the Government over the years-old issue, with about 70 homes still receiving discoloured water through their taps.

“Residents have had to deal with what seems to be a recurring health hazard,” they said. “Government cannot continue to be deaf to [their] concerns.

“A plan of action needs to be put in place to ensure that the health and wellbeing of the residents is not compromised.”

Responding to this call, Minister of Public Works Craig Cannonier said that the discolouration was likely due to the deterioration of cast-iron piping that was installed in the 1970s.

He added that the Health Department had been testing the water regularly and found it to be “good, clean and healthy to drink”.

To validate that claim, this newspaper sent Paget-based company Bermuda Environmental Laboratories Ltd to collect the samples from Alexandra Road.

The water was then tested for levels of coliform bacteria, E Coli, total dissolved solids, iron, pH and turbidity.

Shervon De Leon, BELL laboratory manager, said: “The report found the samples were microbiologically safe for human consumption at the time of sampling.”

Mr De Leon added that the water’s brownish colour could not be attributed to iron concentration, given that both samples fell below the WHO limit of 0.5 milligrams per litre.

“The low iron concentration and high turbidity of the samples suggests that the colour of the water is likely due to sediments in the piping,” he said.

“Filtration at the point of entry into the house should be adequate to reduce the turbidity and sediment levels of the water.”

Mr De Leon said the high turbidity level was primarily an aesthetic problem, although it hampered the disinfection process and could make it more expensive.

“No one likes or wants to drink dirty-looking water,” he said. “In this instance, the high turbidity does not appear to affect the quality of the water, although it should be monitored regularly until its source is found and eliminated.

“Perception is important. Even though the scientific evidence says that the water is safe for drinking, the fact that it looks dirty is understandably more likely to influence people not to drink it.”

Last week, Mr Cannonier insisted that the ministry had “all men on deck” trying to remedy the “brown water” problem, and that trenching for new pipes had already started in the neighbourhood. He said: “Obviously the residents would like to see this happen as quickly as possible, so this is a matter of urgency for us.”

He added that the only guaranteed, permanent fix would be to replace all of the cast-iron piping in the area.