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Drinking Water Assessment Unit

The safety and accessibility of drinking-water are major concerns throughout the world. Illness may arise from consumption of water contaminated with infectious agents such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli O157 that can cause disease; toxic chemicals; also radiological hazards. Improving access to safe drinking-water can result in tangible improvements to health.

Quite simply having safe drinking water is essential for good health and the World Health Organization explains the facts here:

Drinking Water World Health Organization (WHO)

Drinking Water Assessors and Technical Officers work with all networked drinking water suppliers and water carriers that are required to meet the provisions of the Health Act 1956 and the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand. The Drinking Water Assessment Unit has the responsibility of ensuring that drinking water suppliers throughout Northland maintain safe drinking water for their consumers.

What we do

The DWAU works with water suppliers to make sure the water you drink is safe and of a high standard. We assess water supply compliance with the Health Act 1956 and Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand (DWSNZ).

Administer the requirements of the Health Act 1956
Assess water supplier’s compliance with the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand
Submitting on resource consents and regional or district plans
Provide information and resources to the public and households about water quality and safe drinking water
Assessing water safety plan from suppliers and water carriers
Investigate public health problems arising from drinking water
Maintain a drinking water monitoring and surveillance system through our Waiora Project.

Northland DHB community water fluoridation position statement

For more details, please refer to the Northland DHB website: https://www.northlanddhb.org.nz/your-health/healthy-lifestyles/community-water-fluoridation/

For information on fluoride visit the Ministry of Health website and the Fluoride Facts website

Useful Links

Drinking Water Assistance Programme

Safe drinking-water is a necessity for good health, but many small rural New Zealand communities do not have access to drinking-water that is shown to be safe. To assist such communities, Ministry of Health has set up a Drinking-water Assistance Programme (DWAP).

The Drinking-water Subsidy Scheme provided funding to eligible community drinking-water supplies to help them provide safe drinking-water from 2006 to 2015. The Government has closed the ten-year Drinking-water Subsidy Scheme to new applications.

Drinking Water Assistance Programme (Ministry of Health)