Using recycled water for food crops
If you use recycled water to irrigate food crops in the Northern Territory (NT) there are rules you must follow to prevent contaminating your produce.
You risk contaminating food if your recycled water is of a poor quality.
The risk of contamination from recycled water can depend on:
- water quality
- your choice of irrigation system
- the type of crop you are growing
- how you handle the food after harvest
- the processing involved.
Using recycled water
If you want to use a recycled water system for irrigating food crops, you will need wastewater works design approval.
You should only use recycled water if you have had a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) or equivalent food industry risk assessment.
For more information or to find out how to get an assessment, go to the HACCP website.
Guidelines and standards
You should read the guidelines for management of recycled water systems.
Draft guidelines for wastewater works design approval for recycled water systems DOCX (1011.1 KB)
Draft guidelines for wastewater works design approval for recycled water systems PDF (1.2 MB)
Food sold in the NT is regulated under the NT Food Act 2004 and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
The microbiological standards for the use of recycled water for irrigating food crops are represented in the table below.
| Type of commercial food crop | Method of irrigation and onsite preventative measures | E.coli |
|---|---|---|
| Crops consumed raw or unprocessed - carrots, broccoli, onions, cabbage and rock melons | Spray, drip, flood, furrow or subsurface. | <1 cfu/100 mL |
| Crops for produce grown in hydroponic conditions - herbs, lettuce | Hydroponic | <1 cfu/100 mL |
Crops with limited or no ground contact and eaten raw - tomatoes, capsicums | Drip irrigation. No harvest of wet or dropped produce. Subsurface. No harvest of wet or dropped produce. | <100 cfu/100 mL <1000 cfu/100 mL |
Crops with ground contact with skins removed (other than rock melons) before consumption - watermelons | Spray, drip, flood, furrow or subsurface. If spray irrigation, minimum 2 days between final irrigation and harvest. Pathogen reduction between harvesting and sale. | <100 cfu/100 mL |
Crops with no ground contact with skin removed before consumption - citrus, nuts, avocado, banana, mango | No harvest of wet or dropped produce.Spray: minimum 2 days between final irrigation and harvest. No harvest of wet or dropped produce. Drip, flood, furrow or subsurface. Pathogen reduction between harvesting and sale. | <100 cfu/100 mL <1000 cfu/100 mL |
Crops with no ground contact and heavily processed - grapes for wine production, cereals | Drip, flood, furrow or subsurface. No harvest of wet or dropped produce. Pathogen reduction between harvesting and sale. | <1000 cfu/100mL |
Raised crops - apples, apricots, grapes, olive, peach | Drip, flood or furrow. No harvest of wet or dropped produce. Pathogen reduction between harvesting and sale Subsurface. No harvest of wet or dropped produce. Pathogen reduction between harvesting and sale. | <100 cfu/100 mL <1000 cfu/100 mL |
Crops cooked/processed before consumption - potatoes, beetroot | Drip, flood, furrow or subsurface. No harvest of wet or dropped produce. Pathogen reduction between harvesting and sale. | <1000 cfu/100mL |
Contact
For more information, contact Environmental Health by going to the Department of Health website.
Last updated: 30 November 2020
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