The overarching principles and objectives for water quality management in Tasmania are provided in the State Policy on Water Quality Management 1997.
The main legislation controlling water quality in Tasmania is the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994. Specific regulations also have an important role in protecting the quality of Tasmania’s water resources, for example, the Environmental Management and Pollution Control (Underground Petroleum Storage Systems) Regulations 2020.
The management of Tasmania's surface and groundwater resources is the responsibility of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania. For information on the allocation and management of freshwater resouces refer to the water management legislation section of the Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania website.
Governing Legislation and Policy for protecting water quality
Supporting Documents
Under the State Policy on Water Quality Management, Protected Environmental Values have been set for all of Tasmania’s inland surface waterways including estuaries. PEVs for coastal and marine waters and for groundwater have as yet not been set. However, Interim PEVs for these ecosystems have been proposed.
For details on the proposed interim PEVs refer to the EPA document, Technical Guidance for Water Quality Objectives (WQOs) Setting for Tasmania.
Technical Guidance for Water Quality Objectives (WQOs) Setting for Tasmania (537Kb)