Australian guidelines
Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Managing Health and Environmental Risks (Phase 1)
Phase 1 of the Australian guidelines focuses on:
- treated sewage and greywater to be used for:
- residential garden watering, car washing, toilet flushing and clothes washing;
- irrigation for urban recreational and open space, and agriculture and horticulture;
- fire protection and fire fighting systems;
- industrial uses, including cooling water; and
- greywater treated on-site (including in high rise apartments and office blocks) for use for garden watering, car washing, toilet flushing and clothes washing.
Phase 2 of the Australian guidelines is under development and will address recycling of stormwater, managed aquifer recharge and augmentation of drinking water supplies.
The Australian guidelines provide a risk management framework for beneficial and sustainable management of water recycling systems. This approach is similar to that used in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (2004) and allows flexibility and opportunity to tailor requirements to different circumstances at regional and local levels.
The Australian guidelines are not mandatory and have no formal legal status in themselves. The water recycling systems addressed in the guidelines are regulated by States/Territories, and application of the framework may vary across jurisdictions depending on the arrangements for water and wastewater management.