A compliance roadmap helps drinking water suppliers understand the options available under the Water Services Act 2021 and choose an approach that best fits the size, risk, and use of their supply.
One option is to use an Acceptable Solution pathway, which is designed for smaller or lower-risk supplies, or where water is primarily used for farming purposes.
About the Acceptable Solution Pathway
This pathway is tailored specifically to:
- Mixed-use rural supplies: Where at least 50% of the water is used for farm purposes (such as irrigation or stock water), with the remainder used for drinking.
- Small to medium networked supplies: Piped networks supplying drinking water to communities of up to 500 people.
- Self-supplied buildings: Supplies serving up to 500 people and up to 10 buildings under the same ownership, such as schools, marae, sports clubs, community halls, or small worksites.
How Acceptable Solutions work
Acceptable Solutions typically focus on end-point treatment, where water is treated at or near the building where it is consumed. This often includes systems such as filtration combined with ultraviolet (UV) disinfection.
Suppliers using an Acceptable Solution must:
- Implement all requirements of the chosen Acceptable Solution
- Carry out required water quality monitoring and testing
- Use accredited laboratories where specified
- Maintain treatment systems and supporting infrastructure
- Keep records and notify Taumata Arowai of their chosen compliance pathway through the Hinekōrako portal
- Have response plans in place for situations that could pose a risk to public health
Suppliers using an Acceptable Solution do not need to prepare or submit a Drinking Water Safety Plan or Source Water Risk Management Plan, and do not need to follow the DWQA Rules, provided they remain compliant with the Acceptable Solution.
Surface water sources, such as rivers and lakes, present higher risks due to turbidity, chemical contaminants, and cyanobacteria, which may make Acceptable Solutions less suitable in some cases.
Operational requirements
Under an Acceptable Solution, suppliers should expect to have:
- A simple operations and maintenance manual (how the system works and how it is looked after)
- Documented emergency or incident response procedures
- Monitoring, testing, and record keeping processes
Aimee Snowsill
Environmental Consultant