10 minute read
Access to clean and safe drinking water is a critical requirement, particularly for emergency response, disaster relief, and remote communities. The Aquagen Garrison is a high-performance water purification system designed to provide safe drinking water under the most challenging conditions. Not only does it meet New Zealand’s Taumata Arowai Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules 2024, World Health Organisation Water quality and the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines but it significantly exceeds compliance requirements, ensuring the highest standards of water safety and reliability.
New Zealand’s Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules 2024 set stringent requirements for water suppliers, ensuring that drinking water does not exceed Maximum Acceptable Values (MAVs) for key contaminants. When direct measurement is not feasible, surrogate criteria and operational requirements are used to demonstrate compliance.
The Garrison surpasses these requirements by implementing a multi-stage filtration, reverse osmosis (RO), and UV sterilisation system that provides water purity far beyond regulatory standards.
The Garrison water purification system has been compared to standards required by multiple drinking water supply categories in New Zealand.
Very Small Community Water Supply – Serves up to 25 people, extendable to 50 people for short periods.
Networked Supply – Provides pressurised or restricted flow water distribution.
Water Carrier Supplies – Ensures compliant drinking water for transport and storage.
Community Drinking Water Stations – Provides safe drinking water through direct collection points.
For each classification, The Garrison meets and exceeds the required water treatment and distribution criteria.
The Garrison employs a multi-barrier approach to ensure water safety, using a combination of:
20-Micron Sediment Filter – Captures large particles like sand and debris.
5-Micron Sediment Filter – Further removes finer sediment and suspended solids.
5-Micron Carbon Block Filter – Eliminates chlorine, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, and taste/odor contaminants.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membrane (0.0001 Microns) – Removes 99.99% of dissolved solids, heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses.
UV Sterilisation (40 mJ/cm² Dose) – Provides final microbial disinfection, inactivating bacteria, viruses, and protozoa beyond regulatory requirements.
These filtration stages far exceed the required 5-micron minimum filtration standard set in New Zealand’s T1.3 Treatment Rules Module.
Learn More about how these work in our article about water filtration methods.
The Garrison’s filtration system provides superior log reduction rates that surpass compliance requirements:
| Contaminant Type | Minimum Requirement | Garrison Log Reduction | Removal Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sediment & Particulates | 5-micron filtration required | 20-5-5 micron system | ~99% |
| Chlorine & Chemicals | 1-3 log removal | 5-micron carbon block: 3-log removal | 99.9% |
| Bacteria & Protozoa | 4-log removal | RO + UV: 6-log removal | 99.9999% |
| Viruses | 4-log removal | RO + UV: 6-log removal | 99.9999% |
| Heavy Metals & Salts | Not specifically regulated | RO: 99-99.99% removal | 99-99.99% |
By achieving 6-log microbial reduction, The Garrison ensures that water is significantly cleaner and safer than standard municipal supplies.
New Zealand’s T3 Bacterial Rules require that all water treatment systems using UV sterilisation must achieve a minimum 40 mJ/cm² dose for 95% of each day.
The Garrison’s UV sterilisation module is NSF/ANSI 55 Class A certified for 32 LPM. At a product of 1000 L/hr the Garrison exceeds the 40 mJ/cm² requirement.
The system automatically diverts water flow if UV performance drops, ensuring continuous safe operation.
Unlike chlorine-based disinfection, UV treatment avoids chemical by-products while maintaining superior microbial inactivation. The lack of chemicals allows the Garrison to operate self sufficiently for up to 1 year.
This guarantees that The Garrison provides fully disinfected, pathogen-free water, even under emergency conditions.
To maintain compliance, New Zealand’s water standards require continuous monitoring and control measures. The Garrison integrates advanced monitoring systems for:
Turbidity (must be <5 NTU) – The Garrison consistently meets this requirement with Reverse osmosis produced water expected to be below 0.1 NTU.
UV Intensity (UVI) and UV Transmittance (UVT) Monitoring – Ensures optimal UV performance at all times.
Flow Sensors and Pressure Monitoring – Maintains correct operating parameters to prevent system failures.
These automated monitoring features ensure that The Garrison operates within compliance at all times and provides real-time safety assurance.
The Garrison is more than just a compliant water purification system—it is a superior solution for delivering safe, reliable drinking water beyond New Zealand’s regulatory requirements. Whether for remote communities, emergency response, or water carrier supply, The Garrison ensures:
Higher removal rates of contaminants than required by Taumata Arowai
Multi-layered filtration and UV sterilisation for ultimate pathogen control
Automated compliance monitoring and fail-safe protection
Adaptability for both small and large-scale water supply needs
At LEDI, we are committed to engineering cutting-edge water purification solutions that provide clean, safe water in any environment.
For more information on how The Garrison meets and exceeds New Zealand’s water safety standards, visit LEDI.com.au.