Toowoomba first to achieve water storage to tap HACCP certification

20 March 2006

Toowoomba first to achieve water storage to tap HACCP certification

Toowoomba City Council’s implementation of the water quality management system known as HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) means water consumers can be confident of the quality of the city’s water supply.

Council’s Engineering Quality and HACCP Coordinator Bob Brownley described the HACCP system as an internationally recognised risk management tool used by Council in their water operations.

“Toowoomba City Council was the first in Queensland to implement the quality assured HACCP management system for potable water production from dam storage to customer tap.

“The HACCP system is a proactive system that identifies the risks and proposes corrective actions before problems occur,” Mr Brownley said.

Two other Queensland councils – Brisbane Water and Gold Coast Water – have also achieved HACCP certification for potable water production but not for bulk storage supply.

The schedule for HACCP certification began in March 2004 with the certification of stage one for potable water from catchment to tap.

“Stage two, due for completion at the end of 2006, is HACCP accreditation of the water reclamation plant at Wetalla, “ Mr Brownley said.

The first part of that next step was a workshop on March 10 to identify hazards and fully assess the risks involved in wastewater collection and treatment from the city catchment area.

Industry experts, including Associate Professor Greg Leslie who is considered a world expert on advanced water treatment and Professor Michael Moore who is director of the Natural Resource Centre for Environmental Toxicology at the University of Queensland, attended the workshop.

Prior to the first workshop, Council officers conducted a survey of major waste generators into the wastewater system and in some cases, suggested alternative disposal methods prior to entry of those wastes into the wastewater system.