National Health and Medical Research Council

The NHMRC is keen to ensure that the Australian community has the best opportunity to participate in developing NHMRC reports.

NOTICE OF PROPOSED GUIDELINES

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in collaboration with the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC), has released for public comment the revised Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (summarised in the Schedule), and a discussion paper on Health Based Targets For Microbial Safety Of Drinking Water.

Invitation to make a submission.

You are invited, under paragraph 13(1)(b) of the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992, to make a submission to the NHMRC about the draft guidelines.

How to make your submission

Electronic submissions using the web address water@nhmrc.gov.au are strongly preferred. If this is not possible, please make your submission in writing (preferably typed or word processed) or on audio tape and submit by mail to:

Please ensure that the author of the submission and organisation (if applicable) is clearly stated. If you would like your submission to be treated as confidential, please indicate this clearly (for example, by marking CONFIDENTIAL on each page of your written submission). Submissions may be subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act 1982. All submissions will have personal contact details removed prior to becoming publicly available on the NHMRC website.

Closing Date

The closing date for submissions is 15 January 2010.

Download

• Draft Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (DOC, 1.6MB)
• Health — Based Targets for Microbial Safety of Drinking Water Supplies Draft Discussion Paper (DOC, 341KB)
• Part IV Draft Information Sheets (DOC, 4.3MB)

Schedule

The current revision has only been in relation to Chapters 6, 9 and 10 and the fact sheets as outlined below. The discussion paper Health Based Targets for Microbial Safety of Drinking Water is released for comment. Following consideration of public comment the content will be included in the revised Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) is designed to provide an authoritative reference on what defines safe, good quality water and how it can be achieved and assured. The ADWG provides a framework for good management of drinking water supplies, which will assure safety at point of use when correctly implemented.

The intended audience for the ADWG is the Australian community, agencies responsible for the supply of drinking water, including catchment and water resource managers, drinking water suppliers, water regulators and health authorities.

In 2007 NHMRC/NRMMC commenced a rolling revision of the Guidelines, which provides an opportunity to revise individual water quality parameters as necessary, to ensure the guidelines represent the most up to date scientific understanding.

The NHMRC Water Quality Advisory Committee has made available for public consultation the following revisions:

• Section 6.3.2
• Chapters 9 and 10
• Bacteroides
• Coliphages
• Clostridium perfringens
• Escherichia coli
• Heterotrophic plate counts
• Intestinal enterococci
• Thermotolerant coliforms
• Total coliforms
• Escherichia coli (E. coli) (pathogenic)
• Helicobacter pylori
• Mycobacterium
• Blastocystis
• Cryptosporidium
• Cyclospora
• Giardia
• Cylindrospermopsin
• Microcystins
• Nodularin
• Saxitoxins
• Adenovirus
• Enterovirus
• Hepatitis viruses
• Norwalk virus
• Rotavirus
• 2,2-DPA
• 2,4-D [(2,4-Dichlorophenoxy) acetic acid]
• Acephate
• Aldicarb
• Aldrin & Dieldrin
• Ametryn
• Amitraz
• Amitrole
• Arsenic
• Asulam
• Atrazine
• Azinphos-methyl
• Barium
• Benomyl
• Bentazone
• Beryllium
• Bioresmethrin
• Boron
• Bromacil
• Bromoxynil
• Captan
• Carbaryl
• Carbendazim / Thiophanate-methyl
• Carbofuran
• Carboxin
• Carfentrazone ethyl
• Chlorantraniliprole
• Chlordane
• Chlorfenvinphos
• Chlorine
• Chlorine dioxide
• chlorate
• Chlorite
• Cloropicrin
• Chlorothalonil

• Chlorpyrifos
• Chlorsulfuron
• Clopyralid
• Cyfluthrin, Beta-cyfluthrin
• Cypermethrin isomers
• Cyprodinil
• DDT
• Deltamethrin
• Diazinon
• Dicamba
• Dichloroprop / Dichlorprop-P
• 1-3 Dichlorpropene
• Dichlorvos
• Diclofop-methyl
• Dicofol
• Diflubenzuron
• Dimethoate
• Diquat
• Disulfoton
• Diuron
• Endosulfan
• Endothal
• EPTC
• Esfenvalerate
• Ethion
• Ethoprophos
• Etridiazole
• Fenamiphos
• Fenarimol
• Fenchlorphos
• Fenitrothion
• Fenthion
• Fenvalerate
• Fipronil
• Flamprop-methyl
• Fluometuron
• Fluproponate
• Glyphosate
• Haloacetonitriles
• Haloxyfop
• Hexazinone
• Imazapyr
• Iodine, Iodide
• Iprodione
• Lanthanum
• Lindane
• Maldison (Malathion)
• Manganese
• Manzoceb
• MCPA
• Metaldehyde
• Metham
• Methidathion
• Methiocarb
• Methomyl
• Methylbromide
• Metolachlor/s–Metolachlor
• Metiram
• Metribuzin
• Metsulfuron-methyl
• Mevinphos
• Molinate

• Monochloramine
• Naphthalophos
• Napropamide
• Nicarbazin
• Nitrate and nitrite
• N-Nitrosodimethylamine
• (NDMA)
• Norflurazon
• Omethoate
• Oryzalin
• Oxamyl
• Paraquat
• Parathion
• Parathion-methyl
• Pebulate
• Pendimethalin
• Pentachlorophenol
• Permethrin
• Picloram
• Piperonyl butoxide
• Pirimicarb
• Pirimiphos methyl
• Plasticisers
• Polihexanide
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• Profenofos
• Promecarb
• Propachlor
• Propanil
• Propargite
• Propazine
• Propiconazole
• Propyzamide
• Pyrasulfatole
• Pyrazophos
• Pyroxsulam
• Quintozene
• Silica
• Simazine
• Spirotetramat
• Sulprofos
• Taste and odour
• Temephos
• Terbacil
• Terbufos
• Terbuthylazine
• Terbutryn
• Thiobencarb
• Thiometon
• Thiram
• Tin
• Toltrazuril
• Total dissolved solids
• Triadimefon
• Trichlorfon
• Triclopyr
• Trifluralin
• Turbidity
• Uranium
• Vernolate