Aging Pipes Affecting Melbourne Residents

Water pipes in many Melbourne, Australia, homes are deteriorating from old age, reports the Melbourne Weekly, causing murky water and low pressure, and residents fear more issues will soon rise.

According to the newspaper, many Melbourne homes have galvanized piping, which was banned following new housing regulations in the 1970s, and now, several residential properties are having problems with their plumbing.

“If you were going to buy an older house or apartment you’d be a fool not to look at the plumbing,” plumber Adam Turnbull told the paper.

Zoe Denton, of Body Corporate Guardians, which manages several apartments in Melbourne, told the news source about 30 percent of the buildings her company operates have plumbing issues, including low pressure and water leaks.

In addition to aging plumbing, Melbourne residents also have to deal with sewage leaking into their homes after heavy rains reportedly forced wastewater into main waterways.

Melbourne Water spokesman Andrew McGinnes told ABC News that the city had to to steer the sewage into two local creeks to avoid waste backing up into Melbourne homes.