Water quality guidelines
Water quality requirements depend on how we want to use the water and the needs of the environment. The different categories of water use are:
- human drinking water
- livestock drinking water
- irrigation water
- visual amenity (no human contact)
- secondary contact recreation, eg boating
- primary contact recreation, eg swimming
- aquatic ecosystems (healthy water for animals and plants).
In Australia, the following national water quality guidelines provide the authoritative guide to set water quality objectives and standards.
Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) and Agricultural and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ) 2000). These guidelines are for environmental waters and provide the methodology to assess and track changes to water quality over time. The ANZECC guidelines are used to assess water quality in Sydney's drinking water catchments.
Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) 2004). The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines are predominantly used to assess the safety of treated drinking water. They protect public health.
