Protecting and managing drinking water
The department protects and manages public drinking water source areas in Western Australia to make sure the public has access to safe, good quality drinking water now and into the future.
The Water Corporation is a separate entity to the Department of Water and is the main water service provider supplying the majority of the state's drinking water.
Legislation
The department's powers to manage drinking water are provided through the Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Act 1909 and the Country Areas Water Supply Act 1947.
Role
To protect and manage drinking water, the department:
- determines the boundaries of public drinking water source areas and proclaims them under legislation
- prepares and reviews drinking water source protection reports for each public drinking water source area in the state
- adopts the Australian drinking water guidelines 'catchment to consumer', multiple-barrier, risk-based framework
- investigates and advises on land uses and activities that pose a contamination risk to public drinking water and public health
- prepares and implements policies and strategies to achieve the maximum practical protection of drinking water sources
- develops and promotes the use of water quality protection notes, codes and guidelines describing water quality protection measures
- works with the community, local and state government and water service providers to manage public drinking water sources areas
- provides advice on the management of other drinking water sources across the state, such as remote community supplies, mine sites and private supplies.
