Website content change log

This change log documents significant changes to the Water Quality Guidelines website that may be of interest to users. This log can be used as a record of key changes to guideline content, including updates to default guideline values.

You may request further information on a particular item by emailing Water Quality and citing the reference number.

We will also send email notifications to our subscribers for significant changes to the content on this website. Subscribe to join the mailing list for Water Quality Guidelines updates.

​ Expand a​ll

Change log 2023

Reference no. Date of change Page title and address Description of change
2023-01 17/05/2023 Pathway for toxicant default guideline value publication

The following three draft-DGVs are now available for public comment:

  • Copper in marine water
  • Picloram in freshwater
  • Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in freshwater

Public comment period closes Tuesday 17 August 2023.

Tables of remaining toxicants have been updated to reflect progress in their development.

Change log 2022

Reference no. Date of change Page title and address Description of change
2021-13 16/08/2022 Weight of Evidence

Updates have been made to the Defining components in the process subpage:

  • The weight of evidence framework (figure 1) has been updated to link biomarkers and bioaccumulation
  • Guidance regarding ecosystem receptor lines of evidence

Change log 2021

Reference no. Date of change Page title and address Description of change
2021-12 29/09/2021 Toxicant default guideline values for protecting aquatic ecosystems

The master table of toxicant default guideline values has been updated to include:

  • The revised DGVs for zinc in marine water
  • A correction of reported values for methoxychlor in freshwater
The updated master table is now available for download.
2021-11 29/09/2021 Search for default guideline values The search tool has been updated to include the revised default guideline values for zinc in marine water.
 
2021-10 29/09/2021 Zinc in marine water

Default guideline values (DGVs) for zinc in marine water have now been published on the website after successfully passing through the public comment phase (refer to pathway for toxicant default guideline value publication for more information on the approval process).

These DGVs replace the former ANZECC & ARMCANZ 2000 guidelines for zinc in marine water
 
2021-09 01/07/2021 Search for default guideline values The search tool has been updated to include updates to the following toxicants:
  • Boron in freshwater
  • Metsulfuron-methyl in freshwater
  • Glyphosate in freshwater
  • Glyphosate in marine water
The master table of toxicant default guideline values has also been updated and is available for download.
2021-08 01/07/2021 Metsulfuron-methyl in freshwater

Default guideline values (DGVs) for metsulfuron-methyl in freshwater have now been published on the website after successfully passing through the public comment phase (refer to pathway for toxicant default guideline value publication for more information on the approval process).

These DGVs replace the former ANZECC & ARMCANZ 2000 guidelines for metsulfuron-methyl in freshwater
2021-07 01/07/2021 Boron in freshwater

Default guideline values (DGVs) for boron in freshwater have now been published on the website after successfully passing through the public comment phase (refer to pathway for toxicant default guideline value publication for more information on the approval process).

These DGVs replace the former ANZECC & ARMCANZ 2000 guidelines for boron in freshwater
2021-06 01/07/2021 Glyphosate in freshwater

Default guideline values (DGVs) for glyphosate in freshwater have now been published on the website after successfully passing through the public comment phase (refer to pathway for toxicant default guideline value publication for more information on the approval process).

These DGVs replace the former ANZECC & ARMCANZ 2000 guidelines for glyphosate in freshwater
2021-05 01/07/2021 Glyphosate in marine water Guidance for the ANZECC & ARMCANZ (2000) default guideline values (DGVs) for glyphosate in marine water has been clarified following the update of DGVs for glyphosate in freshwater.
2021-04 03/05/2021 Pathway for toxicant default guideline value publication The following six draft-DGVs are now available for public comment:
  • Alpha-cypermethrin in freshwater
  • Bisphenol a in freshwater
  • Bisphenol a in marine water
  • Dioxins in freshwater
  • Fipronil in freshwater
  • Mancozeb in freshwater

Public comment period closes Tuesday 3 August 2021.

Tables of remaining toxicants have been updated to reflect progress in their development.
2021-03 01/04/2021 IMCRA mesoscale bioregions of Australia An error was identified with the reported units for the marine chlorophyll a DGVs in the IMCRA database. Units for chlorophyll a were corrected from "moles per litre" (mol/L) to "micrograms per litre" (µg/L).
2021-02 22/03/2021 Toxicant default guideline values for protecting aquatic ecosystems The master table of toxicant default guideline values (DGVs) is now available for download. The updated excel spreadsheet contains a complete list of data on toxicant DGV’s, consistent with the current database underpinning the DGV search tool.
2021-01 22/03/2021 Protocols for biological assessment

The recommendations of the biological monitoring protocols provided in Volume 2, Appendix 3 of the ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines for fresh and marine water quality have now been updated and published on the Water Quality Guidelines website.

Instead of providing detailed protocols, the new guidance advises users to seek the latest relevant methods and protocols for a chosen biological response indicator in the peer-reviewed, international, published literature and also as provided or advised by relevant national, state or territory governments.

Change log 2020

Reference no. Date of change Page title and address Description of change
2020-07 19/11/2020 Metolachlor in freshwater Default guideline values for Metolachlor in freshwater have now been published on the website after successfully passing through the public comment phase (refer to pathway for toxicant default guideline value publication for more information on the approval process).
2020-06 12/10/2020 Australia - Guidance for Temporary Inland Waters Guidance on assessing and managing water quality in temporary waters has been published on the website. The new guidance document focusses on how to use the national water quality management framework for assessing water and/or sediment quality of temporary waters.
2020-05 29/06/2020 Pathway for toxicant default guideline value publication

The following eight draft-DGVs were listed on the website for public comment:

  • Boron in freshwater
  • Chromium (III) in freshwater
  • Glyphosate in freshwater
  • Iron in freshwater
  • Iron in marine water
  • Metolachlor in freshwater
  • Metsulfuron-methyl in freshwater
  • Zinc in marine water.
Public comment period closes 29 October 2020.
2020-04 15/04/2020 Accounting for local conditions The salinity effects section was updated to include guidance on using freshwater DGVs for metals that are affected by hardness or other key modifying factors (e.g. pH, DOC, alkalinity), for brackish waters.
2020-03 15/04/2020 Toxicant default guideline values for water quality in aquatic ecosystems This page has been updated to include general information about guideline values for groundwater and brackish/hypersaline water types.
2020-02 15/04/2020 Application of the Water Quality Guidelines to groundwater This page was created to provide some general information and guidance on how the Water Quality Guidelines can apply to groundwater. Note: DGVs for groundwater ecosystems have not been developed.
2020-01 05/02/2020 Default Guideline Values This page has been changed to update the recreation and aesthetics sub-heading as the 2008 NHMRC recreational water quality guidelines superseded any previous guidance and are still current. The revised text reflects this more accurately

Change log 2019

Reference no. Date of change Page title and address Description of change
2019-14 23/12/2019 Accounting for local conditions These pages has been updated to reflect the need to check for local guidance for deriving and applying site-specific guideline values, and provide additional references and links to guidance on how to derive site-specific guideline values for aquatic ecosystems.
2019-13 23/12/2019 When there is no default guideline value for a toxicant
2019-12 23/12/2019 Deriving guideline values for water quality
2019-11 27/11/2019 Accounting for local conditions
2019-10 27/11/2019

Accounting for local conditions

 This page has been updated to clarify the reasoning behind the recommended application of a higher level of species protection default guideline value (DGV) for a bioaccumulating compound. It provides more details on the circumstances under which the above recommendation can be relaxed, updates descriptions of the processes of bioaccumulation and highlights the key the Water Quality Guidelines principle of continual improvement.
2019-09 24/09/2019 IMCRA mesoscale bioregions of Australia This page has been updated to improve the clarity of the existing guidance on where the phys-chem stressor regional DGVs can be found, and the need to first check whether local jurisdictions have derived GVs for phys-chem stressors, as these will override the regional DGVs.
2019-08 24/09/2019 Australia’s marine regions This page has been updated to improve the clarity of the existing guidance on where the phys-chem stressor regional DGVs can be found, and the need to first check whether local jurisdictions have derived GVs for phys-chem stressors, as these will override the regional DGVs.
2019-07 24/09/2019 Australia’s inland waters This page has been updated to improve the clarity of the existing guidance on where the phys-chem stressor regional DGVs can be found, and the need to first check whether local jurisdictions have derived GVs for phys-chem stressors, as these will override the regional DGVs.
2019-06 24/09/2019 Your location This page has been updated to improve the clarity of the existing guidance on where the phys-chem stressor regional DGVs can be found, and the need to first check whether local jurisdictions have derived GVs for phys-chem stressors, as these will override the regional DGVs.
2019-05 11/09/2019 Toxicant default guideline values for sediment quality This page has been updated to improve the clarity of the existing guidance. This update DID NOT include any changes to the sediment quality default guideline values.
2019-04 10/09/2019 Manganese in freshwater and marine water Reported freshwater moderate reliability trigger value (i.e. default guideline value in the ANZ Guidelines (2018), updated to 1900 µg/L. The previously reported value, 1700 µg/L, was identified as an error in the 2000 Guidelines.
2019-03 23/07/2019 Toxicant default guideline values for protecting aquatic ecosystems Access to DGV master table temporarily removed while it is updated to reflect changes made to DGV database.
2019-02 07/2019 Search for toxicant default guideline values The database underpinning the search tool for toxicant default guideline values (DGVs) has been reviewed and updated to correct errors and inconsistencies. Refer to the ‘explanatory note’ for information on the contents of the database, including what guideline trigger values have and have not been incorporated from the 2000 Guidelines.
2019-01 27/06/2019 Nitrate in freshwater and marine water The ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guideline trigger value for nitrate was erroneous and as such, the corresponding content from these 2000 Guidelines has been removed.
Last updated: