Australian Drinking Water Guidelines out
October 29, 2011
The National Health and Medical Research council released the 2011 version of Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) in Brisbane on 28 October 2011. The guidelines provide the Australian community and the water supply industry with guidance on what constitutes good quality drinking water.
Following the latest review, the ADWG was expanded to include 120 new physical/chemical fact sheets, nine new microbial indicator fact sheets and a new section on pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting chemicals.
The upgraded Community Water Planner (CWP), a web-based tool designed to assist small communities to develop drinking water management plans, was released at the same time. The CWP covers microbial, physical, chemical and radiological risks to water supply.
WQRA supported the development of the Field Guide to the Community Water Planner (a complementary resource) to assist water managers in remote locations develop water management plans, and a copy of the Field Guide can be accessed on our website.
WQRA is an observer on the Water Quality Advisory Committee that informs the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, and WQRA members have had significant input into the draft guidelines, as well as having been involved in their initial design through the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment.
WQRA CEO Jodieann Dawe welcomed the release of the revised guidelines on Friday, describing them as an important tool to protect water quality.
"We have excellent water quality in Australia, and tools such as the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines help us to protect it, by reinforcing a risk-based approach to managing water quality that the water industry, and regulators, can use," she stated.
"Water quality is vital to the health of our communities, so it is important to have the best possible information on how it can be supported. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines are a crucial part of that picture."
Resources:
Australian Drinking Water Guidelines
Community Water Planner
Field Guide to the Community Water Planner
