On this page:
- Drinking water
- Australian Drinking Water Guidelines
- Guidelines for Private Water Supplies
- Recreational water
- Bore Construction
- Fact Sheets
Drinking Water
Drinking Water is defined as water intended primarily for human consumption, either directly as delivered, or indirectly in beverages, ice or food prepared with water.
The Department's Environmental Health Program has a key role in setting goals for drinking water quality and monitoring compliance with those objectives in the interest of public health. The Environmental Health Program works closely on this issue with the Power and Water Corporation (PWC), which has the primary responsibility for providing safe water to most Northern Territory Communities.
This collaboration has resulted in the development and implementation of an agreed monitoring program between the Department and PWC for chemical, radiological and microbiological parameters in drinking water supplies. This program is based on recommendations made in the national '2004 Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG)' and also addresses the need for monitoring specific water quality characteristics that are problematic in the Northern Territory and not necessarily described in the ADWG in great detail. All sampling results from this monitoring program are reported to the Environmental Health Program for consideration and appropriate action.
Under the Water Supply and Sewerage Services Act 2000:
- the Minister of Health and Community Services may specify the minimum standards for drinking water quality that a licensee must meet in providing water supply to customers;
- a licensee is required to meet minimum standards for drinking water quality;
- the Chief Health Officer may in an emergency give directions to a licensee to achieve minimum standards.
- the Chief Health Officer may approve the methodology for monitoring compliance with minimum standards.
Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2004 (ADWG)
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) have been developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in collaboration with the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC).
The ADWG are intended to provide a framework for good management of drinking water supplies, and when implemented will assure safety of drinking water. The ADWG are not a mandatory standard, but provide the basis for determining the quality of water to be supplied to consumers in Australia.
The ADWG apply to any water intended for drinking, irrespective of the source or where it is consumed, with the exception of bottled and packaged water as it is covered under the national Food Standards Code.
The ADWG and supporting documents released by the NHMRC such as the consumer information guide 'Water Made Clear' and 'Community Water Planner' can be accessed on their website.
Guidelines for Private Water Supplies
Throughout the Northern Territory there are many facilities that rely on small private water supplies. These supplies can include groundwater, surface water and rainwater.
The Guidelines for Private Water Supplies have been developed by the Department's Environmental Health Program to assist private water supply operators to comply with the requirements of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (2004) in providing water that is safe to use.
Operators of businesses or facilities that provide drinking water have a responsibility to ensure that the water is safe to use. If the safety of the water cannot be guaranteed then consumers should be alerted. These guidelines provide detail on managing private water supplies using a risk management approach.
Guidelines for Drinking Water Transport in the Northern Territory
The guidelines for drinking water transport in the Northern Territory have been developed to assist carters of drinking water to meet their legal obligations under the Northern Territory Food Act, and their duty of care to their customers to ensure that the water they supply is both safe and suitable for drinking and food preparation. The guidelines provide practical advice on sourcing water, cleaning and sanitising requirements for the tank and fittings, as well as record keeping requirements.
Recreational Water
The Department's Environmental Health Program has a key role in setting goals for recreational water quality and monitoring compliance with those objectives in the interest of public health. The Environmental Health Program works closely on this issue with the Environment Protection Agency Programme (EPA) of the Department Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts (NRETA), and the Parks and Wildlife Service of NRETA, which manages the majority of recreational water bodies in the Territory.
This collaboration has resulted in the development and implementation of a monitoring program for microbiological parameters in recreational water bodies managed by Parks and Wildlife. The program is based on recommendations made in the 'Guidelines for Managing Risks in Recreational Water 2006' and the criteria set in the 'Northern Territory Recreational Microbiological Water Quality Guidelines 2007'. Sampling results from the monitoring program are reported to the Environmental Health program for consideration and appropriate action.
Northern Territory Recreational Microbiological Water Quality Guidelines 2007
The NT Recreational Microbiological Water Quality Guidelines 2007 have been developed in cooperation with the EPA and provide the criteria for microbial assessment of marine and fresh waters in the Northern Territory. The guidelines use a traffic light system of green, amber and red mode to classify microbiological water quality in recreational water bodies of the Northern Territory. The green mode stands for 'Surveillance: Open for Swimming', the amber mode indicates 'Alert: Open for Swimming' and the red mode requires the water body to be 'Closed for Swimming'.
The more holistic national Guidelines for Managing Risks in Recreational water 2006 can be downloaded from the NHMRC website.
Bore Construction
In the Northern Territory any bore drilled within a Water Control District requires a bore construction permit from the Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport (NRETAS), pursuant to section 57 of the Water Act. Water Control Districts cover the Darwin Rural Area, Gove Peninsula, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Ti Tree and Alice Springs Regions. For further information on NRETAS requirements and detailed maps of current Water Control Districts access the NRETAS website on http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/water/index.html
A bore located outside a Water Control District does not require a construction permit from NRETAS under the Water Act, however it does require notification to the Department of Health and Families (DHF) pursuant to the Public Health Act and the Public Health (Night-Soil, Garbage, Cesspits, Wells and Water) Regulations.
Application form
This form must be completed and submitted by the applicant to the relevant Environmental Health Office prior to the commencement of bore construction.