4.1 Introduction

For the purposes of this document, small water supplies are those serving fewer than 1000 people; they include supplies to facilities such as caravan parks, school camps, tourist attractions, roadhouses, and individual household supplies. The sources of these supplies can include groundwater, surface water and rainwater.

For small supplies, it may not be economically feasible or practical to carry out all the recommendations of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines however, there is a range of basic measures that can be implemented to provide reasonable assurance of safety. This chapter provides guidance on methods that are suited to small communities and that should give an adequate degree of confidence that safe water is being supplied.