Water quantity and quality for remote communities

Aboriginal outstations generate a set of service needs which must be met to ensure their viability as communities in which people can live in remote environmentally harsh conditions. The provision of clean water in adequate quantities is one of the foremost of these needs. The fact that many outstations continue to use inadequate water is a matter for concern. Aboriginal outstations are being established in these areas, only to find that water supply may be either unavailable or require extensive pre-treatment and supply infrastructure to comply with Australian requirements which, it may be argued, are inappropriate to the overall needs of a remote Aboriginal community. This paper attempts to make an assessment of water quality and quantity levels adopted by servicing agencies in the light of the differing needs of these communities as compared with an urban, industrialised setting, arguing for negotiation on water supply standards with the community to facilitate the development of remote outstations