This short 2-page paper describes the Australian Cooperative Research Centers (CRCs) as joint ventures between the Commonwealth Government, industry and research institutions. The paper focuses on the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment, whose purpose is to link public health researchers with water quality experise to provide advice and support to the Australian water industry. The paper specifically discusses the contributions of the CRC to revising the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, including the Framework for Management of Drinking Water Quality. The goal of the Framework is to promote a pro-active management approach based on risk assessment and the implementation of management programs to mitigate those risks. Robust multiple barriers and a thorough understanding of the factors that generate the risks are essential elements promoted in the new guidelines. The paper lists four CRC research projects that investigate the behavior of pathogens in watersheds and reservoirs that include: Management of Infectious Organisms in Source Waters; Fate and Transport of Pathogens in Catchments; Hydrodynamic Distribution of Pathogens in Reservoirs; and, Survival of Cryptosporidium in Environmental Waters.