Dr Paul Byleveld, Mr Sandy Leask

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Water Safety Conference 2010
Dr Paul Byleveld, Mr Sandy Leask
Public health regulation of drinking water in
regional New South Wales, Australia
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Outline

Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and
Framework for the Management of Drinking Water
Quality Relationship between NSW Health and water
utilities Metropolitan utilities Rural and
regional utilities Analysis of data from rural
and regional supplies Supporting discrete
Aboriginal communities
Water Safety Conference November 2-4 2010,
Kuching, Malaysia
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Location of NSW in Australia

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Kuching, Malaysia
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Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (2004)

• defines safe, good quality drinking water
• preventive management encompasses all steps in
  water production from catchment to consumer
• helps assure drinking water quality and protects
  public health

Water Safety Conference November 2-4 2010,
Kuching, Malaysia
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Australian Drinking Water Guidelines guiding
principles

• Greatest risk is from pathogenic microorganisms.
  Protection of water sources and adequate
  treatment is essential
• Robust multiple barriers appropriate to level of
  potential contamination must be continuously
  maintained
• Sudden or extreme change in water quality, flow
  or environmental conditions (eg. extreme rainfall
  or flooding) should arouse suspicion
• Operators must respond quickly and effectively to
  adverse monitoring signals
• Operators must have personal sense of
  responsibility to supply safe water, and never
  ignore a consumer complaint
• A preventive risk management approach is required
  to ensure drinking water safety and quality.
  Testing is just one part of this process.

Water Safety Conference November 2-4 2010,
Kuching, Malaysia
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Framework for the Management of Drinking Water
Quality

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Metropolitan water utilities
NSW Health has a clear regulatory program for
Hunter Water, Sydney Water, Sydney Catchment
Authority Governed by Operating Licences and
Memoranda of Understanding Operating Licences
require NSW Health approval of drinking
water/recycled water quality monitoring plans and
management plans System management and monitoring
programs follow Australian Drinking Water
Guidelines or Australian Guidelines for Water
Recycling Annual audit a condition of Licences
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Kuching, Malaysia
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Metropolitan water utilities Operating
Licences, Memoranda of Understanding

Sydney Water Corporation (Sydney Water Act 1991)
Five-year drinking water quality management
plan Recycled water management plans Sydney
Catchment Authority (Sydney Water Catchment
Management Act 1998) Water quality risk
management framework Hunter Water Corporation
(Hunter Water Act 1991) Five-year water
quality management plan Waste water and
recycling operations plan
Water Safety Conference November 2-4 2010,
Kuching, Malaysia
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Characteristics of supply in country NSW
104 water utilities, 349 supply systems These
systems supply 1.7 million people Median supply
system population 900 people, range
40-125,000 Most utilities are local governments
(councils) A large geographic spread of water
utilities A large variation in financial
resources among utilities
Water Safety Conference November 2-4 2010,
Kuching, Malaysia
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Population Density (people/sq km) in NSW, 2006
census

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Kuching, Malaysia
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Local Government Areas of NSW reporting to the
NSW Health Drinking Water Monitoring Program

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Kuching, Malaysia
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NSW Health Drinking Water Monitoring Program

• Supports Country water utilities to monitor
  drinking water with free-of charge laboratory
  analyses
• Analyse routine samples for E. coli and range of
  inorganic chemical and physical characteristics
• Laboratories also provide analysis for extra
  inorganic and physical characteristics and
  limited organic chemistry analyses
• Encourage water utilities to implement the twelve
  elements of the Framework for Drinking Water
  Quality Management. Assists with
• Element 2 Assessing drinking water supply
  system
• Element 5Verifying drinking water quality
• Element 6 Managing incidents and emergencies
• Element 7 Employee awareness and training
• Element 9 Research and development
• Element 10 Documentation and reporting
• Element 11 Evaluation and audit

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Kuching, Malaysia
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NSW Drinking Water Database http//www3.health.nsw
.gov.au/waterqual/samples/register.cfm


An internet based, password protected system that
allows secure access to drinking water quality
monitoring results for rural and regional supply
systems across the state
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Kuching, Malaysia
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Rate of microbial sampling compliance

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Kuching, Malaysia
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Rate of microbial non-compliance

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Kuching, Malaysia
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Microbial result compliance

• Multivariate analysis of the data identified
  factors associated with increased rates of E.
  coli detection
• Smaller supply population
• Lower mean socioeconomic status in population
  supplied
• Watercourses as raw water source
• UV as sole disinfection method
• Elevated post-treatment turbidity
• Some of these are outside the control of water
  utilities, but some can be managed

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Kuching, Malaysia
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Discrete Aboriginal communities

• Need identified to provide support to discrete
  Aboriginal communities to operate, maintain and
  monitor drinking water and sewerage systems
• 25 year agreement between NSW Government and NSW
  Aboriginal Land Council
• Provides funding for long term program by which
  water utilities or other service providers
  support communities
• Includes
• Assessment of risks in systems
• Development of management plans
• Service agreements between communities and water
  utilities
• implementation of corrective actions and routine
  tasks under plans
• routine monitoring of drinking water supplies
• Evaluation of health and social outcomes of
  program

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Kuching, Malaysia
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Kuching, Malaysia
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What to do next?

• Maintain relationships between NSW Health and
  water utilities
• Continue rolling out the Aboriginal Communities
  Water and Sewerage Program
• Provide encouragement for development of
  management plans
• Legally
• Practically
• Improve implementation of the Framework for the
  Management of Drinking Water Quality
• Re-develop NSW Drinking Water Database
• Maintain support for Drinking Water Monitoring
  Program

Water Safety Conference November 2-4 2010,
Kuching, Malaysia