Australian Guidelines For Water Recycling Research Articles

Water recycling — forwards or backwards for public health?

Water recycling — forwards or backwards for public health?

Water recycling — forwards or backwards for public health?

Water recycling — forwards or backwards for public health?

The safe use of recycled water

Continued population growth, droughts and limited water storage capacity are placing ever increasing pressure on Australian water supplies. One of the responses to this pressure has been increased use of recycled water. However, increased use has to be balanced against protection of public health; the greatest risk is from enteric microorganisms. The separation of human drinking water supplies from wastewater has been the largest single contributor to improved population health in the developed world through reducing infectious disease and extending life expectancy. The new Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling (AGWR) describe how recycled water schemes can be designed, operated and managed to ensure that they are safe. Reactive management based on end-point monitoring and using E. coli as a focus for assessing microbiological safety has been superseded by a preventive risk management approach.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) for water re-use via aquifers

Worldwide, there is an increasing interest in the recharge of aquifers as a method for augmenting urban water supplies. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) can utilise a variety of non-traditional source waters including urban stormwater and reclaimed water from sewage effluent. However, these alternate water sources may contain a wide range of pathogenic hazards that pose risks to human health. Hence the safe use of recycling water via aquifers requires potential risks to be reduced to acceptable levels. This article outlines the approach recommended by the draft Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling (AGWR) (Phase 2C Managed Aquifer Recharge) to quantify the aquifer treatment using a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) approach.