Safe drinking water

Safe drinking water doesn't have to be absolutely pure. Water is an excellent solvent, so pure water containing nothing else is almost impossible to find.

'Safe drinking water' should be safe for people in most stages of normal life to drink. This includes children over six months of age and the very old.

It should be free of harmful concentrations of chemicals or pathogenic microorganisms, and ideally it should have an aesthetically pleasing appearance, taste and colour (Australian Drinking Water Guidelines NHMRC 2004).

In Australia, water quality objectives are set using national water quality guidelines.