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Objective

Recommendation

Key issues

What has been achieved 1998-2003

Tasmania Together

Related Issue Reports

Objective

To improve the quality and security of drinking water supply for urban and rural towns and centres.

Recommendation

It is recommended that:

• protection and rehabilitation is ensured for water supply catchments and groundwater recharge zones that are relatively unaffected by human contact and largely free from environmental pollutants, through commitment to catchment and groundwater management planning programs;
   
• a more regional or Statewide approach is investigated in the provision of essential water infrastructure services, rather than the present system of highly dispersed, and locally managed and funded schemes;
   
• given that there are limited relatively pristine water supply catchments to provide the highest quality water with less treatment requirements, demand management and water pricing are applied to assist in reducing water consumption, and that commitment to water reuse and recycling schemes is maintained;
   
• Hydro-geological studies are undertaken to quantify and prioritise the risks of contamination in priority catchments and groundwater aquifers (see also Waste Management);
   
• improvement in public information on drinking water is supported through investigating the potential for expanded reporting on selected measures of water quality, such as turbidity, colour, total dissolved solids, water hardness, coliform bacteria, and selected chemical variables (data would be collected and reported in relation to the quality of natural waters harvested for water supplies and the quality of water supplied to the consumer at the tap); and
   
• programs are developed to address information and education needs for water suppliers, infrastructure providers, and water users.
   

Key issues

Pressure on water resources affects every aspect of the water cycle: the amount of water harvested from our catchments; the quality of the water we drink; and, the health of our oceans and rivers (Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 2001).

Water quality in general is a measure of the life sustaining nature of Tasmania's inland water resources and a key indicator of sustainability. Drinking water quality is a life sustaining quality of water that is of particular importance to the well-being of the population. A poor water supply system can have negative health effects on the population and visitors to Tasmania. Poorly treated or managed drinking water systems result in an increase in illness, most likely gastrointestinal illness, in the community and visiting population.

The issue of drinking water quality is related closely to various influences on catchment health and land use. These are discussed in more detail in the Inland Waters and Wetlands Chapter. Water quality and water quantity are also related closely. In Tasmania where there are only limited numbers of relatively pristine catchments that can be used to supply the highest quality drinking water quality close to the major population centres. Some of the findings from the Drinking Water Quality Issue Report in the Settlements Chapter include the following.

• The quality of drinking water quality to major urban centres is generally acknowledged to be very good in Tasmania. However, there are not limitless supplies of the highest quality drinking water for urban centres. Hobart Water is in a relatively unique situation to source a significant proportion of its raw water supply from highland catchments yielding high quality water. Microbiological quality of drinking water provided by Esk Water and Hobart Water complied with the Public Health Act 1997 - Guidelines for Water Quality Microbiological Requirements. Cradle Coast Water has implemented an improvement program to enhance the microbiological quality of its drinking water (DHHS 2002).
   
• Nevertheless, in sustaining water provision of the highest possible standard to major urban centers, water authorities are dealing with significant catchment management issues-even in relatively pristine catchments such as Lake Fenton-Lady Barron Creek and Mt Wellington.
   
• The dispersed Tasmanian population (Tasmania has the highest percentage of any Australian state located outside its capital city), combined with land uses that can affect water quality, presents problems in maintaining the supply of clean drinking water to rural communities. The quality of drinking water is poor in some regional areas with low population densities.
   
• The Department of Health and Human Services reported that there were 46 local government drinking water supply systems in Tasmania that did not comply with Public Health Act 1997 - Guidelines for Water Quality Microbiological Requirements in the period 2000-2001. This compared to 52 in the previous reporting period. Nineteen of these non-complying systems were not subject to disinfection and, as may be expected, experience repeated failures. All of these supplies were on permanent boil water alerts. There were also four non-complying systems on permanent boil water alerts due to a poor performance history despite undergoing disinfection processes. (DHHS 2002).
   
• Effective water treatment facilities are highly costly, and local communities have considerable difficulty in affording the required technology.
   

What has been achieved 1998-2003

Key initiatives since the previous SoE Report have included:

• Australian drinking water guidelines have been subject to ongoing review since 1996 to ensure that the guidelines meet current community expectation and better manage the risk associated with contamination (NHMRC & ARMCANZ 1996).
   
• Improvements in reporting mechanisms have been implemented with regard to notifying communities of alerts to boil water prior to use, once poor water quality is identified.
   
• Major catchment studies for critical drinking water catchments have been completed or major progress has been made. For example, the Lake Fenton-Lady Barron Creek Catchment Study was undertaken by Hobart Water (a summary of the principal findings in contained in Lake Fenton/Lady Barron Creek Draft Catchment Management Study Case Study).
   
• The Department of Health and Human Services reported that a number of small towns that failed water quality standards have more recently met these standards. These towns are: St Marys (new treatment plant); Hamilton (general catchment improvement); Ouse (new treatment process); Grassy (improved treatment process); Carrick (new treatment plant and general catchment improvement); Blacknell (new treatment plant); and Conara (general catchment improvement).
   
• The State Government's Clean Water Program aims to implement cost effective solutions to water management problems in small towns. One of the most significant sources of water pollution in small towns in Tasmania is sewage effluent.
   

Tasmania Together

Relevant Tasmania Together goals and standards for 'Settlements' are listed in the linked file. The Tasmania Together Progress Board reported on progress toward targets for benchmarks set (Tasmania Together Progress Board 2003). Indicators, targets and baseline data are available in the latest Progress Report June 2003. Further information, including progress report updates, is available from Tasmania Together.

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