Australian Recreational Water Quality Guidelines

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is inviting stakeholder feedback on the draft Australian Recreational Water* Quality Guidelines (the draft Guidelines).

These draft Guidelines are intended to replace the Guidelines for Managing Risks in Recreational Water (2008) and Guidance on Per and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Recreational Water (2019) when they are finalised and published following public consultation. The Guidelines have been renamed to better reflect the scope of the guidance.

The draft Guidelines aim to provide a nationally consistent, best practice approach for managing recreational water quality. The primary aim of the draft Guidelines is to protect the health of humans from threats posed when using coastal, estuarine and freshwaters for recreational or cultural purposes.

The draft Guidelines are intended to form part of the National Water Quality Management Strategy, an Australian Government initiative in partnership with state and territory governments. The Guidelines contain information and guidance on health risks associated with recreational and cultural use of water bodies, including risks from exposure to:

• microbial pathogens from faecal and non-faecal sources
• other harmful organisms that may be present in water, including Naegleria fowleri
• harmful algal and cyanobacterial blooms
• chemical and radiological hazards.

Further information on the draft Australian Recreational Water Quality Guidelines is available on the NHMRC website.

For information on how to make a submission please click the link below – please note the closing date for submissions is COB 27 February 2026.

* Recreational water refers to many types of natural and artificial bodies of water (such as lakes, rivers, thermal springs, water holes and beaches) that are used for leisure and outdoor activities. This includes all sorts of activities that may or may not involve being in the water, such as swimming, fishing, boating and cultural activities.

Recreational water does not include water bodies that use chemical disinfection, such as aquatic facilities (swimming pools, spas or water theme parks).