Residents of Palm Island off North Queensland have been told not to drink their tap water.

Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council has issued an emergency alert warning its 5,000 residents not to drink, cook with or consume tap water until further notice. It is the second time this has happened in the last six months.

Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey wants State Government intervention.

“If we don't get a new reservoir then certainly a second backup reservoir in the town is needed,” Cr Lacey said.

“I'll be putting the issue in front of Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe.

“The main thing is getting the system back online again and ensuring we have safe and quality drinking water like the rest of the state.”

The issue has been linked to believed old pipes in the community's aging reservoir.

“The advice I am getting is that the discolouring of the water is probably [due to] some aging pipe that's been installed in the island in the early 1970s,” Cr Lacey said.

“The old reservoir, which is the main tank that feeds the whole town, was built in the 1950s. It's something I will take up with the Minister [to request] a report into the aging assets.”

Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council has had to supply the community with thousands of bottles of water.

Cr Lacey said the people of Palm Island deserve better.

“You wouldn't think places like [Palm Island] in this day and age could be subject to this type of problem,” he said.