Understanding impacts of recreational access to drinking water catchments and storages in Australia

Source water protection underpins the safety and affordability of drinking water supplies where the prevention of water contamination provides greater surety than removal of contaminants. For those reasons, the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines emphasise the protection of source waters to the maximum degree possible as part of the multiple barrier approach to mitigate possible contamination.

Over the past decades, however, water utilities have been placed under mounting pressure to introduce or increase recreational access to the drinking water catchments and water storages they manage. This has resulted in new challenges for source water managers, in particular the impetus to thoroughly assess proposals that aim to increase such recreational developments so they do not inadvertently impact on their water quality risk profile. On the other hand, if they are deemed to increase water quality risks, they can confidently inform responsible parties, including health departments and other decision makers in government about the ultimate implication of increased cost to their customers and the increased uncertainties related to water quality.

In this project report you will find a summary of the current state-of-play of recreational access in Australia and a general evaluation of the risks associated with different types of access. The report also provides a comprehensive set of tools for source water managers to thoroughly analyse the inherent risks and benefits of recreational access proposals. Specific details are offered to assist source water managers with their quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRAs), the types of cost benefit analyses that utilities can use when assessing recreational access. Overall, it promotes a national understanding of risk to public health and water security. The succinct set of 10 principles summarises key considerations that source water managers and decision makers can consult when recreational access proposals are tabled.