National Water Quality Management System Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling (Phase 2) Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse

Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council Environment Protection and Heritage Council National Health and Medical Research Council

Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling

Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse

National Water Quality Management Strategy

Document No 23

July 2009

Web copy: ISBN 1 921173 45 9

Print copy: ISBN 1 921173 44 0

A publication of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, the Environment

Protection and Heritage Council, and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

July 2009

This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in part subject to the inclusion of acknowledgment of the source and no commercial sale.

The contents of this document have been compiled using a range of source materials; while reasonable care has been taken in its compilation, the member governments of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, the Environment Protection and Heritage Council, and the National Health and Medical Research Council, and the organisations and individuals involved with the compilation of this document, shall not be liable for any consequences that may result from using the contents of this document.

Edited and produced by Biotext, Canberra

Contents

1

Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1

1.1Harvesting and reuse of stormwater and roofwater ......................................... 1

1.2

Purpose and scope of this document ............................................................... 2

1.3

Relationship to other national guidelines ........................................................ 3

1.4

Relationship to state and territory legislation and guidelines ........................... 4

1.5

How to use these guidelines............................................................................ 5

2Roofwater reuse ....................................................................................................... 9

2.1Application of standard approach ................................................................... 9

2.2Preparatory steps .......................................................................................... 10

2.2.1Organisational support ...................................................................... 10

2.2.2Legal requirements ........................................................................... 10

2.2.3Roof characteristics........................................................................... 10

2.3Project design ............................................................................................... 11

2.3.1Tanks ................................................................................................ 11

2.3.2Gutters.............................................................................................. 12

2.3.3Pipework and connections to mainswater .......................................... 12

2.4Operations, maintenance and monitoring ...................................................... 13

2.5Nonresidential roofwater reuse checklist....................................................... 15

3Stormwater reuse ................................................................................................... 17

3.1Reuse application ......................................................................................... 17

3.2Preparatory steps .......................................................................................... 21

3.2.1Organisational support ...................................................................... 21

3.2.2Legal requirements ........................................................................... 21

3.2.3Planning approval ............................................................................. 22

3.3Project design ............................................................................................... 22

3.3.1Stormwater extraction ....................................................................... 22

3.3.2Stormwater quality risk management ................................................ 23

3.3.3Stormwater storage ........................................................................... 27

3.3.4Distribution pipework ....................................................................... 28

3.3.5Irrigation system design .................................................................... 29

(4) (Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse)

(3)

3.4Operations, maintenance and monitoring ................................................. 30

3.4.1Qualified staff ................................................................................... 30

3.4.2Scheme management plan ................................................................. 30

3.4.3Scheme commissioning, validation and verification .......................... 31

3.4.4Catchment surveillance ..................................................................... 32

3.4.5Managing chemicals ......................................................................... 33

3.4.6Incident response .............................................................................. 33

3.4.7Occupational health and safety.......................................................... 34

3.4.8Managing storage tanks .................................................................... 34

3.4.9Access control .................................................................................. 36

3.4.10 Irrigation scheduling ......................................................................... 36

3.4.11 Operational monitoring ..................................................................... 37

3.4.12 Reporting .......................................................................................... 38

3.4.13 Record keeping ................................................................................. 38

3.4.14 Auditing scheme operations .............................................................. 38

3.4.15 Continuous improvement .................................................................. 39

3.5Additional risk management actions for projects other than

irrigation of public open spaces ................................................................. 39

3.6Stormwater irrigation scheme checklist .................................................... 39

Glossary ........................................................................................................................... 115

Tables, figures and boxes ................................................................................................. 123

References ......................................................................................................................... 125

Abbreviations and acronyms

General

AHMCAustralian Health MinistersConference

ANZECCAustralian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council

(replaced in 2001 by EPHC and NRMMC)

ARMCANZAgriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New

Zealand (replaced in 2001 by NRMMC)

ASAustralian Standard

CFUcolony forming unit

Ctterm used in disinfection to describe the product of disinfectant concentration

(Cin mg/L) and contact time (tin minutes)

DALYdisability adjusted life year/s

EPHCEnvironment Protection and Heritage Council

MPNmost probable number

NHMRCNational Health and Medical Research Council

NRMMCNatural Resource Management Ministerial Council

NTUnephelometric turbidity units

NZSNew Zealand Standard SARsodium adsorption ratio UVultraviolet

(8) (Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse)

(7)

Units

cm centimetre

dS/mdeci-Siemens per metre ggram

km kilometre

L litre

m metre

mg milligram mJ millijoule mm millimetre nm nanometre

g microgram

S microsiemens

Acknowledgments

The Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, the Environment Protection and Heritage Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council acknowledge the contributions of the individuals listed below to the development of these guidelines.

Joint Steering Committee

Chair

Mr Chris Bell

Mr John Williamson

Members

Environment Protection Authority, Victoria

Ms Jo Beatty Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria

Ms Jan Bowman Department of Human Services, Victoria

Dr Paul Burrell Department of Natural Resources and Water, Queensland Dr Helen Cameron Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Dr David Cunliffe Department of Health, South Australia

Mr Leon English Department of Water, Western Australia

Dr Helen Foard Ms Kerry Olssen Dr Paul Smith

Dr Karin Leder

Ms C