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Water quality guidelines

Water quality guidelines are recommended values or ranges for a parameter, e.g. pH, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. These guidelines provide a framework that can be adapted to local environments.

Photograph of two water quality officers going out to collect water samples on a boat.

Water samples are regularly collected for testing. Photography by TVU © Sydney Catchment Authority.

There are national water quality guidelines (Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality, ANZECC and ARMCANZ 2000) that provide the authoritative guide for setting water quality objectives in Australia.

All your results will be compared to ANZECC Water Quality Guidelines. Use these to evaluate the results of your first-hand investigation.