The Importance of High Aesthetic Quality Potable Water in Tourist and Recreational Areas

Abstract

Tourists have high expectations of the living standards in tourist and recreational areas and are usually less tolerant of substandard services than are local residents. One of the most obvious services experienced by tourists is the drinking water quality. Whereas the microbiological quality of drinking water is usually well controlled with respect to public health risk, many communities experience problems with the aesthetic quality of their water supplies. Such problems include colour and turbidity, taste and odour, and overchlorination. In areas where raw water sources contain manganese and iron it is essential that these nuisance metals are treated out to low levels. Failure to do so results in the accumulation of metal oxides in biofilm or chemical coatings on the surfaces of water mains. When this material sloughs off, consumers receive “dirty water” which causes irreversible staining of laundry and recreational facilities such as swimming pools. Communities which rely on tourism as their major industry must pay serious attention to the treatment of their potable water or face the economic consequences of having a poor reputation. Current research on the relationship between manganese concentration and consumer acceptability has indicated that WHO and NHMRC recommended levels for manganese in drinking water are not sufficiently low to meet the high aesthetic quality requirements of water in tourist and recreational areas.