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Iron is not normally considered to be a constituent of health significance, and recommended limits for iron in drinking water supplies are based on aesthetic considerations. Experience in Malawi has demonstrated that, even when present in only trace amounts, iron can influence the consumer's acceptance of an improved borehole supply. The effect of the use of plastic construction materials on the iron content of village groundwater supplies was investigated using a statistical approach. The majority of groundwater points using only plastic materials was found to supply water containing less than the WHO guideline value of 0.3 mg/l iron. In contrast, the use of ferrous‐materials increased the iron content of the water to unacceptable levels, sometimes causing the consumers to reject the borehole as a source of drinking water. Bacteriological data show that the quality of the alternative, traditional supply is far inferior to the new improved supply. An otherwise perfectly safe supply may therefore be abandoned as a direct result of contamination introduced by ‘down the hole’ components. This frustrates efforts to improve the well‐being of rural communities, and is a waste of precious development resources.