There has been immense public discussion and speculation regarding the proposed changes to drinking water regulations by Taumata Arowai. Taumata Arowai has been formed to take responsibility for the regulation of water suppliers to ensure all communities have access to safe drinking water. Including an oversight role in protecting the environment from the impacts of wastewater and stormwater. Puretec finds it important to summarise the current position and how it is likely to affect your business and clients, specifically in regards to drinking water.  
 
While Taumata Arowai has drafted the Rules and Standards surrounding the regulation, it is still yet to be finalised and is believed that significant changes are likely to occur before implementation.  
 
An important note to all water suppliers, large or small, have a duty of care to provide safe drinking water, a legal responsibility that will not change.  
 
The emphasis is largely on clearly articulating water treatment requirements (systems and processes) that water suppliers are expected to meet and how they will demonstrate compliance.  
 
As mentioned, the current rules surrounding this are being reviewed and are taking into account submissions from the public and industry groups etc. It is anticipated that the new Rules and Standards will be implemented by the 1st of July 2022.  
 
Entities providing drinking water to others will be classified as water suppliers, such factors as the number of users, water source, distribution network etc. will be used to determine the level of regulation and treatment required.  
 
Individual 'self-suppliers' (private households with their own bore, rainwater tank etc.) will not need to register. However, in practice, their requirement is to provide safe drinking water.  
 
Existing water suppliers will need to register with Taumata Arowai by November 2025 whilst new water suppliers are required to register before commencing supply. Additional time will be provided for suppliers to demonstrate their compliance.  
 
Puretec doesn't recommend using the draft Rules and Standards as the basis for treatment selection as this is likely to lead to installing treatment that is over-engineered for the application.  
 
Puretec is happy to discuss the current drafted rules and their potential impact on your specific projects. We feel it would be premature to make recommendations addressing rules that are yet to be finalised.  
 
If projects can wait until the release of the final Rules and Standards in July 2022, we can confidently provide solutions that will meet the requirements. In the meantime, any recommendations would be tentative.  
 
Taumata Arowai can be contacted directly through their website www.taumataarowai.govt.nz for any further questions which also contains useful information with local contacts for any region-specific questions.  
 

For more information call Puretec on 1300 140 140 (AU) 0800 130 140 (NZ) or visit puretecgroup.com

Download the WATERNEWS PDF here