Prescribed water contaminants include pollutants such as chemicals, oil, paint, animal matter, plant matter, rubbish, sewage and wastewater from outdoor cleaning processes.

In Queensland, materials which are prescribed as water contaminants under the Environmental Protection Regulation 2019 – Schedule 10 are:

• a chemical, or chemical waste containing a chemical, for example:
  • biocide, including herbicide, fungicide and pesticide
  • chemical that causes biochemical or chemical oxygen demand
  • per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
• a gas other than oxygen
• a liquid containing suspended or dissolved solids
• a liquid that has a temperature different by more than 2°C from ambient water temperature
• animal matter, including dead animals, animal remains and animal excreta, and water used to clean animals, animal enclosures or vehicles used for transporting animals
• ashes, clay, gravel, sediment, stones and similar organic or inorganic matter
• a substance that has a pH outside the range 6.5 to 8.5
• building and construction materials, including bitumen, brick, cement, concrete and plaster, for example:
  • cement washed to create exposed aggregate treatment
  • coloured powder used to create stencilled concrete features
• building, construction and demolition waste, including bitumen, brick, concrete cuttings, plaster and waste water generated by building, construction or demolition
• clinical waste
• glass, metal parts, paper, piping, plastic and scrap metal
• industrial waste
• oil, including, for example, petroleum or vegetable based oil
• paint, paint scrapings or residues, paint sludge, water used for diluting paint or washing painting utensils, and waste from paint stripping
• plant matter, including, for example, bark, lawn clippings, leaves, mulch, pruning waste, sawdust, shavings, woodchip and other waste from forest products
• putrescible waste, including, for example, food scraps
• regulated waste mentioned in schedule 9, part 1, column 1 as a prescribed contaminant
• sewage and sewage residues, whether treated or untreated, and any other matter containing faecal coliforms or faecal streptococci, including, for example, waste water pumped out from a septic tank
• vehicles and components of vehicles, including, for example, batteries and tyres
• waste and waste water, generated from indoor cleaning, including, for example, waste from carpet or upholstery cleaning and steam cleaning
• waste and waste water, generated from outdoor cleaning, including, for example, waste generated from high pressure water blasting of commercial or industrial premises, fuel dispensing areas, plant or equipment, roofs, streets, vehicles and wharves
• waste generated from repairing or servicing motor vehicles, including, for example, engine coolant, grease, lubricants and oil
• waste water, including backwash from swimming pools, condensate from compressors, water from air-conditioning or cooling systems and waste water from grease traps.

This information is also available as a prescribed water contaminants fact sheet