Drinking water suppliers have options to meet their responsibility to provide the communities they serve with safe drinking water.
One option is to follow the Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules. Following an Acceptable Solution is another option for some supplies that:
- use roof water
- collect water from springs or bores
- provide water for people to drink as well as for agricultural use. (These supplies are often called ‘mixed-use rural supplies’).
If you choose to use an Acceptable Solution, you:
| Do need to | Don’t need to |
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Clarifications
A few suppliers have asked us who holds specific responsibilities under an Acceptable Solution. In February 2025, we published a policy statement and flowchart to help clarify this.
We’ve also begun a project to improve our Acceptable Solutions. Our aim is to help save drinking water suppliers time and effort, without compromising safety for communities. More information will be available in 2025.
See further clarifications on other aspects of the Acceptable Solutions.