Water – Private Drinking Water

Decommissioning private drinking water systems

When private drinking water systems are no longer used for drinking water purposes, schools must restrict access to the equipment and any outlets/taps retained for non-drinking purposes to ensure untreated water cannot be used for drinking by staff and students.

Tank or bore water may still be used for non-drinking purposes (for example, irrigation or toilet flushing) only if the plumbing for these purposes is completely isolated from the school’s drinking water supply.

To decommission private drinking water systems, schools are required to:

1. disconnect plumbing from the tank/bore to drinking outlets such as taps and bubblers
2. install signage on any still connected tanks/bores/outlets to warn against drinking with messaging such as 'Untreated water – do not drink'
3. arrange for the tank/bores to be replumbed for irrigation or other non-drinking purposes
4. deactivate any relevant AC PDW Routine Tasks and Work Orders in AIMS
5. complete the Private drinking water – confirmation of decommissioning checklist (DOCX) and email it to vsba.annual.contracts@education.vic.gov.au