How do we manage any risk associated with using recycled water?
By using guidelines and risk management principles. Australia is drafting a new national guideline for recycled water which refers to water being fit for the intended purpose. However, state guidelines still refer to classes of water and people generally understand what these mean in their state. Recycled water can be produced using different degrees of treatment to produce a defined quality of water (Defined in the figure above). In Australia, these qualities are commonly classified into Classes A, B, C or D, depending on the state/territory or federal guidelines followed. Different guidelines have specifi c standards that vary from state to state (e.g. all states have Class D recycled water except Tasmania). Most states in Australia (SA, Tas, Vic, NSW, Qld) have guidelines for irrigation of crops and pastures with recycled water.
