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EHWORM

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• Water
  • Why management is important
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  • Role of local government
  • Role of environmental health workers
  • Role of the community
  • Manage the whole water supply system
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• Hygiene
  • Why promote good hygiene
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• Waste management
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• Animal management
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• Designated pests - vermin and vector control
  • About control of designated pests
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Role of environmental health workers in drinking water management

EHWs play a vital role in managing the whole water supply system. In the EHW General Duty Statement, you will find the water management tasks for EHWs. These tasks are broken into daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly routines.

Daily

Conduct a public health inspection of the water system (hardware) throughout the community (eg. bores, dam, water holding tanks, intakes).  Report defects to council and the Water Officer (WO) or Essential Services Officer (ESO).  These inspections should be conducted with the WO or ESO where possible.

Weekly

Liaise with the WO or ESO on a regular basis regarding field-testing and sample results to make sure any public health concerns (eg. failed sample results) are acted on by council.

Fortnightly

In conjunction with the WO or ESO at the community, the EHW should ensure there are adequate supplies of chlorine in stock and arrange with the WO or ESO to re-order supplies if necessary.

Monthly

• Working with the WO or ESO in the community, the EHW should:
  1. ensure samples of the water supply are taken and forwarded to the microbiology laboratory in Cairns, Brisbane or at Thursday Island Hospital for analysis
  2. ensure readings of pH and chlorine levels in the water supply are taken daily from at least three different points in the reticulation system (including dead ends) and that the results are recorded in a log.
• Report all damage or leaks to the water supply and/or in households (eg. shower, taps) to the council/WO or ESO/designated officer (remember to be water wise).
• Provide advice to council (preferably to the WO or ESO) on the current water quality and quantity, including results from analyses of water samples and possible effects on people’s health. 

Useful water links

The following links could be useful for developing water awareness programs in your community:

• WaterWatch (DNRW)
• River Murray Urban Users
• Indigenous Communities' Water Supply  (ICEH)
• Water Made Clear—a consumer's guide to the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 
• Water, Sanitation, and Health (WHO)
• Fact Sheets on water diseases (WHO)
• Drowning (ICEH) 
• Blue Book (Victoria Health)
• enHealth Council publications on rainwater tanks

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