Black Specks in Shau Kei Wan Drinking Water; Water Supplies Department Says Pipe Flushing Stirred Up Bitumen Protective Layer

A drinking water pipe on Shau Kei Wan Road was damaged by roadworks last Tuesday, affecting drinking water supply to households in Shau Kei Wan and Sai Wan Ho, after which residents reported black sediment in their drinking water. The Water Supplies Department replied that the black sediment originated from the bitumen protective layer on the inner wall of steel pipes upstream in the government supply system and was stirred up during flushing after pipe repairs and carried to the downstream supply network; all samples met the Hong Kong Drinking Water Standards and posed no risk to public health.