After three years of development and extensive trials, WSAA’s Health Based Targets (HBT) Manual, is now publicly available following its launch at the WSAA Members’ Meeting in Canberra earlier this month.

In 2009,  the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) released a discussion paper on including a Health Based Target (HBT) for microbial water quality in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG). In feedback to the NHMRC, WSAA provided conditional support for the HBT concept and also raised a number of water industry concerns. In late 2012, the HBT Working Group was convened to assess the impact on the water industry and to provide a practical HBT assessment and regulatory approach which could be used across the diverse range of circumstances in Australia.

The WSAA Health Based Targets Manual guides utilities though a self-assessment process to determine the water safety for each scheme. A key output from the project was development of the concept known as the “water safety continuum”. This has helped to understand that the HBT should not be considered a pass/fail metric. Rather, the safety performance of each scheme should be plotted on the continuum and distance from the HBT benchmark indicates the type and urgency of water quality improvements required.

WSAA HBT Working Group, through their liaison with NHMRC’s Water Quality Advisory Committee, have designed the Manual to be compatible with the framework for managing drinking water quality outlined in the ADWG.  The Manual and the research undertaken by WSAA on HBT will assist in future revision of the ADWG by NHMRC.

Adoption of HBTs will reinforce the importance of managing sources and water treatment plants to good practice standards. The HBT process also provide the opportunity to achieve Australia-wide consistency of approach and outcomes. This consistency then provides the opportunity for utilities and regulators to engage meaningfully on any performance improvements necessary.​

 

Download the WSAA Health Based Targets Manual.

14 Dec 2015

Jennifer Bartle-Smith

Jennifer Bartle-Smith

Manager Liveability