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Water quality publications

Hard copies of some of these publications are available free of charge from the Community Information Unit.

National Water Quality Management Strategy

These guidelines have been released by the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC) and, in some cases, in collaboration with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Health Ministers Conference. Hard copies of these guidelines can be ordered from the Australian Water Association 

• Policies and process for water quality management
  • Paper 1: Water quality management - an outline of the policies - 1994 
  • Paper 2: Policies and principles - a reference document - 1994 
  • Paper 3: Implementation guidelines - 1998 
• Water quality benchmarks
  • Register for National Water Quality Management Strategy updates
  • Paper 4: Australian and New Zealand guidelines for fresh and marine water quality - 2000 
  • Paper 6: Australian drinking water guidelines - 2004 
  • Paper 7: Australian guidelines for water quality monitoring and reporting - 2000 
• Groundwater management
  • Paper 8: Guidelines for groundwater protection - 1995 
• Diffuse and point sources
  • Paper 9: Rural land uses and water quality - a community resource document - 2000
  • Paper 10: Guidelines for urban stormwater management - 2000
• Guidelines for Sewerage Systems
  • Paper 11: Guidelines for sewerage systems - effluent management - 1997
  • Paper 12: Guidelines for sewerage systems - acceptance of trade waste (industrial waste) - 1994
  • Paper 13: Guidelines for sewerage systems - sludge (biosolids) management - 2004
  • Paper 14: Guidelines for sewerage systems - use of reclaimed water - 1999
  • Paper 15: Guidelines for sewerage systems - sewerage system overflows - 2004
• Effluent Management
  • Paper 16a: Effluent management guidelines for dairy sheds - 1999
  • Paper 16b: Effluent management guidelines for dairy processing plants - 1999
  • Paper 17: Effluent management guidelines for intensive piggeries - 1995
  • Paper 18: Effluent management guidelines for aqueous wool scouring and carbonising - 1995
  • Paper 19: Effluent management guidelines for tanning and related industries in Australia - 1995
  • Paper 20: Effluent management guidelines for Australian wineries and distilleries - 1998
• Water recycling
  • Paper 21: Australian guidelines for water recycling: managing health and environmental risks (phase1) - 2006 
• Other reports
  • Better Water Workshop Series – National Water Quality Management Strategy - 2008
  • Water quality targets: a handbook - 2002
    • Water quality targets online - 2002
  • Random Audit of Historical Water Quality Monitoring Data and Associated Operational/Landscape and Climate Data - First report - 2007
  • Random Audit of Historical Water Quality Monitoring Data and Associated Operational/Landscape and Climate Data - Second report - 2007

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