Western Water is governed by the Safe Drinking Water Act 2003 and Safe Drinking Water Regulations 2005 for the provision of Drinking Water to customers.
Western Water closely monitors the quality of drinking water supplies to ensure compliance with standards set out in the Safe Drinking Water Regulations 2005. We also adopt other industry guidelines associated with health and aesthetics of drinking water including the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2004 (ADWG). This ensures that our water quality targets are more than adequate and are used to set our physical, chemical and microbiological performance targets.
In May 2008, Western Water became the first regional water corporation to successfully pass the DHS Regulatory Audit for Drinking Water Risk.
Monitoring and Reporting
Western Water ensures the health and aesthetic quality of water supplied to customers through a rigorous process of water quality monitoring and reporting. Monitoring includes continuous measurement of key parameters via online instruments (linked to alarm systems and graphic displays), daily operational checks by treatment plant staff and weekly independent monitoring.
Water samples are collected from each of Western Water’s 19 water quality localities which include sites at reservoirs, water filtration plants, storage tanks, pump stations and customer taps.
The samples are tested for a range of microbiological, physical, chemical, algal and radiological parameters. All external testing is undertaken through independent laboratories accredited by the National Authority of Testing Association (NATA).
In addition to scheduled testing, non-routine testing is used to investigate water quality trends, source variation issues, customer complaints or any suspected contamination issues. Non-routine testing may either be done by external NATA accredited laboratories or by operational testing, depending on the nature of the issue and the water quality information needed.
Comprehensive water quality results from across our supply system can be found in the Annual Water Quality Report.
For more information on water quality, contact our Water Quality Team on 1300 650 425 or email mail@westernwater.com.au.