In Australia guidance on what constitutes good quality drinking water is provided by the Australian
    Drinking Water Guidelines (NHMRC & ARMCANZ 1996), a companion document of the National Water
    Quality Management Strategy.

    The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines are intended to meet the needs of consumers and apply
    at the point of use; for example, at the tap. They are applicable to any water intended for
    drinking irrespective of its source (municipal supplies, rainwater tanks, bores, point-of-use
    treatment devices, etc.) or where it is used (the home, restaurants, camping areas, shops, etc.).

    The Guidelines provide an authoritative Australian reference on good drinking water quality, covering
    a wide range of the microbiological, physical, chemical and radiological characteristics that determine
    water quality.

    They are not intended as guidelines for environmental water quality, nor, as the document stresses,
    should they ever be seen as a licence to degrade the quality of a drinking water supply to a
    guideline value.

    Three categories of guidelines are provided:

    * Not Detected - For pesticides, which are not approved for use in water or water catchment areas the
        guideline value is set at or about the limit of determination (LOD). This value is the
        level at which the pesticide can be reliably detected using practicable readily available and
        validated analytical methods. This also applies to some bacteria.

    * Health - A health-related guideline value is the concentration or measure of a water quality
        characteristic that, based on present knowledge, does not result in any significant risk to
        the health of the consumer over a lifetime of consumption.

    * Aesthetics - An aesthetic guideline value is the concentration or measure of a water quality
        characteristic that is associated with good quality water.

    Water-based recreational activities are popular with Australians and New Zealanders. Although
    each country has an extensive coastline, much of it is inaccessible for recreational purposes,
    resulting in highly localised pressures on accessible coastline. The same is true for estuarine and
    freshwater rivers and lakes, especially those close to urban centres.

    Therefore, water quality guidelines are necessary to protect these waters for recreational
    activities such as swimming and boating, and to preserve the aesthetic appeal of water bodies.
    Water quality guidelines are used in the monitoring and management of a range of microbiological,
    physical and chemical characteristics that determine the suitability of a water resource for
    recreational purposes.

    Three categories of recreational activities are recognised:

        * Primary Contact - sports in which the user comes into frequent direct contact with water,
            either as part of the activity or accidently; for example, swimming or surfing;

        * Secondary Contact  - sports that generally have less-frequent body contact with the water;
            for example, boating or fishing;

        * Aesthetics (No Contact) - this comprises the  passive recreational use of waterbodies,
            mainly as pleasant places to be near or to look at (no body contact).