Australian Capital Territory
Public Health (Drinking Water) Code of Practice 2007 (No 1)
Disallowable instrument DI2007–62
made under the
Public Health Act 1997, s133 (Codes of practice)
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Part 3 of the Public Act 1997 (the Act) establishes the regulatory framework for public health risk activities and procedures.  The Minister is given the power to declare an activity that may result in the transmission of disease, or risk to public health to be a public health risk activity.

The supply of drinking water in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has been declared a licensable public health risk activity.

A person carrying on a public health risk activity is required to comply with a code of practice in relation to that activity.  Section 133 of the Act gives the Minister the power to determine codes of practice setting out minimum standards or guidelines for the purposes of this Act.  A code of practice determined under this section is a disallowable instrument.

This Public Health (Drinking Water) Code of Practice has been developed in order to provide a framework for reporting and water quality management relating to the supply of drinking water under a Drinking Water Utility Licence in the ACT.

The Code of Practice specifies the technical requirements for the supply, quality, monitoring of, and reporting on drinking water in the ACT.  It documents the notification procedures the Water Utility is required to follow in the event of an incident that poses an imminent serious risk to public health.

The technical requirements in the code are consistent with the latest version of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, published by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC).

DI2000-86, Public Health (Drinking Water Quality) Code of Practice 2000 notified on the Legislation Register on 9 March 2000 is revoked.