Dirty, cloudy and tasting of chlorine is how some locals in a north-west Queensland town describe their drinking water.

Business owner Jodie Coward has lived in the rural community of Hughenden, south-west of Townsville, for more than 30 years.

She said the current water quality was the worst she had seen.

"I haven't drunk our tap water now for probably over two years,"

she said.

"Here at the shop, I have filters on my drinking taps.

"At home, I boil the water and use activated carbon to get rid of the contaminants."

The small town in the Flinders Shire, with a population of just over 1,000 people, has been plagued by water quality issues for years.

Some experience a strong chlorine taste or brown discolouration, while others report no issues.

The township faced six weeks of boil-

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