Two official references that are often confused, and what each one can and cannot tell you.
Two different questions
Buyers assessing filtration products often see two official references: the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) and WaterMark. They answer different questions.
The ADWG: a framework for drinking water quality
The ADWG is published by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). It is the national guideline for managing drinking water quality and is aimed mainly at water suppliers and regulators. The current version is 4.0 (June 2025). It provides guideline values and a management framework. It is not a product certificate. A filter cannot be "ADWG certified", and the guideline itself is not legislation [1].
WaterMark: certification for specified plumbing products
WaterMark is a mandatory national certification scheme for specified plumbing and drainage products, administered by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB). A certified product is evaluated against a product specification and listed in the WaterMark product database. Certification must be read against its listed model and specification; it does not establish every advertised contaminant-reduction claim. Local installation requirements also apply; check requirements for the product and location with the installer [2][3].
Read certification at model level
A WaterMark licence applies to the listed models and specification. One certified model does not cover a whole range.
Key buying implications
- Treat the ADWG as context for water quality, not as a product approval.
- Check WaterMark by licence number or model in the official database [4].
- Ask what each document covers and which specification it refers to.
- Ask for performance claims to be backed by test evidence for that model and that substance.
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References
- NHMRC & NRMMC (2011). Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 6 2011, Version 4.0, updated June 2025. Copyright and version page. Accessed 7 Nov 2026 (AWST).
- Australian Building Codes Board. About WaterMark (n.d.). Scheme scope and installation information. Accessed 7 Nov 2026 (AWST).
- Australian Building Codes Board. Always LOOK for the WaterMark (n.d.). Product specification and scheme information. Accessed 7 Nov 2026 (AWST).
- Australian Building Codes Board. WaterMark Product Search. Search by listed model or licence; no Flowell model verification is implied by this article. Accessed 7 Nov 2026 (AWST).