BUSINESS
fo r drinking water to be "regulated water" . T he Victorian Department of Hu man Services has indicated that reclaimed water may be considered for declaration as "regulated water" . If reclaimed water is declared to be " regulated wa ter", the Safe Dri11ki11g 14'ater Act will require a water supplier to : • take all reasonable steps to ensure that the intended recipients of the water are made aware of the natu re of the wa ter and any health risks which may arise from its use; • prepare, implement and conti n uously review a R isk Management Plan in accordan ce with Part 2 of the Act. The supplier may also be required by the Secretary to the D epartment of H uman Services to have the plan audited fro m time to time; and • pro vide the Secretary with an annual report relating to the quality of regulated water. Liability under stock protection legislation in Victoria
It is an offence under section 42( 1) of the Livestock Disease Control A ct 1994
(Vic) for an owner o r occupier of land to allow cattle to graze on land on which sewage has been deposited , subject to certain exceptions (Penalty: S6,000) . Section 42(2) of that Act makes it an offe nce fo r a person to permit, suffer or allow any cattle or pigs to be fed with any pasture or crops grown on land on w hich sewage or night soil has been deposited or spread, except with the app roval of th e Sec reta ry to the D epartm ent o f Sustainability and Environment. Pigs are not permitted to graze o n land irrigated with wastewater. Sub-sections 42(1) and (2) do not apply to a " sewerage au thority" that permits ca ttle to graze on land , or to be fed with pasture or crops grown on land, where the land is o w ned or occupied by the sewerage authority. "Sewerage aut h or i t y" i s d e fin e d t o m ea n Melbo urn e W ate r o r an autho rity under the Water A ct 1989 (Vic) that has a sewerage distri ct under that Act. A "sewerage autho rity" does no t include li ce nsees under th e Wal er fo dustry Act 1994 (Vic) .
The prohibitions under section 42(1) and (2) also do not apply if the night soil o r sewage has been purified to the standard approved by the Minister by O rder published in th e Vic to rian Gove rnment Gazette. The cu rrent purificatio n standard in relatio n to ca ttle is that se t out in th e Ministerial Order gazetted on 9 J anuary 2003 (Victorian Government Gazette G2, at page 42) . Liability under Food Protection Legislation in Victoria
T he Food A ct 1984 (Vic) creates a series of offences regarding the sale and handling of " unsafe" and " unsuitable" food. The user of reclaimed water is probably more likely than a su pp lier to be liable fo r an offen ce under this Act if the irrigation of food crops with reclaimed water ca uses food to become " unsafe" or " unsuitable" .
Practical Management of Risks Ultimately, a supplier's legal exposure w ill depend on its ability to minimise the risk of harm actu ally occurring, either by:
Discover the difference! Tho Aquatoo Pro11ure Sewer Pump Station 11 the r11ult of over 30 year, of t)(pertl11 In tho domt1tl0 and munlolpal 1twer market. Although the pre11ure 1twer concept h111 been around In tho U,S, for ovor 30 year,, Aquatoo havo dH lgned II paokago u1lng 100111 ll)(pt rlonoo to 1ult Au1tr1llan 00ndltlon1, Tho Aquatoo polyothylono pump ohambor ha1 bHn onglnH rod from tho ground up to bo 011y to ln1tall, plu1 It m11t1 or l )(ottd1 all applloablo Au1trallan 1tandard1, Tho earnoe UltraCAV progro11lvo cavity grlndor pump h11 won r11poot world wldo for 111 rollablllty In dlffloult 00ndlt10n1, Coolor motore 1111longor, That'• why Aquato011 fully 1ubmorelblo motor uao, a harmlo11 dlolootrlo mlnoral off for ooollng, It 11 up to four tlmH moro offlolont than air ooollng, Tho lntogratod prouuro 1wlt0h (optlonal) monltor1 dl10h11rgo pro11uro1 and 1hut1 tho motor down long bolero II thormal out,out would, o,ctondlng 111 oporatlonal llfo, Tho Aquatoo olootrloal oontrollor 11 manulaoturod to 1trlngont Au1trallan Stand11rd1 u1lng off tho1holl 00mponont1 that maku It 1tralght forward and troublo lroo, Aquatoo offor, you moro oapaolty option,, providing a largor oapaolty abovo alarm point. ""ull tho plug from tho bath without II worry," Wo bollovo that wo'vo got a bottor 10lullon for ovory domandlng ln1tallallon you'ro ovor llkoly to faoo, l:1ut don't tako our word for It, put u1 to tho tu t, Call now and dl1eu11 your partloular nood1 with ono of our quallllod onglnoor1,
A QUATEC F L UID
S Y STE M S
WATER DECEMBER 2003
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