This information is for any water carting business that delivers water for sale to the public which is intended for:
• human consumption, or
• purposes connected with human consumption (such as preparation of food, making ice for consumption, or preserving unpackaged food).
The information in this guide is not applicable to other water carting activities, which may include moving potable water between water agency supply systems and providing water where no sale to the public occurs. These activities are outside the scope of the Food Act 1984 requirements.
What is required?
Registration
Each water transport vehicle in your business being used for the above purposes is a class 3 ‘premises’ and must be registered under the Food Act 1984 (the Act). The registration is valid across the state of Victoria and is required to be renewed every 12 months.
Penalties can apply if a water transport vehicle is operating without a current registration under the Act. These penalties include an infringement notice or prosecution in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria.
Which authority do I register with?
Local council
The council in whose district your vehicle(s) is garaged.
How do I register?
Online
Applications for registration of water carters are completed by creating and using an online account FoodTrader. Temporary and mobile food premises must apply online to their local council using the online registration portal for food businesses, community and not-for-profit groups, FoodTrader.
How to ensure the water you sell is safe
Water transport businesses selling water are responsible for ensuring the water sold for human consumption is safe to drink or use in food preparation.
Water transport businesses need to ensure that:
- water is sourced from a potable source
- only registered water transport vehicles are used
- water transport vehicles are able to be cleaned and sanitised appropriately.
Obtain your potable supply
The water you transport and sell for consumption must be of potable quality.
Water carters may wish to source potable water from a Victorian water agency. Water agencies may impose additional requirements on water carters to ensure the water agency’s water supply system is protected from contamination at all times.
If you have any doubts about the quality of any water source or water to be transported and delivered to the customer, you should seek advice from the relevant local water agency or supplier of the water source.
Design and construction of your water transport vehicle
A water transport vehicle must be appropriately designed and constructed to prevent any possible contamination and to enable effective cleaning and sanitising.
If the vehicle was used for another purpose before used for transporting potable water, you should take that prior use into consideration as it may pose a risk to the water.
Cleaning and sanitising your water transport vehicle
Vehicles used to transport potable water for sale to the public must be able to be cleaned and sanitised.
Potable water contact surfaces must be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition, including the lining of the vehicle’s tank, openings, lids, seals, fittings and pipes.
The cleaning process involves the removal of dirt from the surface, followed by sanitising to remove or reduce the numbers of microbial pathogens.
If a vehicle has not been used for some time, it will need to be cleaned and sanitised before it is suitable for carting potable water.
Record keeping requirements
You will need to keep records relating to:
- the water agency from which you purchase water to be sold for human consumption (name of water agency, address and telephone number)
- dockets or invoices received from this water agency
All records must be kept for 12 months.
Your registering council can advise you further about this when you apply for registration.
Other information
Water sources
To ensure that the water you deliver and sell is safe, it is important that the water is collected from an outlet managed by a recognised water agency.
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