Drinking water

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• Private water supplies
• Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009
• Private water sampling, fees and charges
• What happens if the water quality does not meet the required standard?
• Why are these regulations important?
• Registration
• Abstraction license
• Public water supplies
• Related links

Private water supplies

A private water supply is any supply of water, intended for human consumption, which is not provided by a water company such as Wessex Water, Thames Water or Southern Water. There are around 600 registered private water supplies in Wiltshire.

The Environmental Protection Team is responsible for making sure water from private water supplies is safe to drink and use. A private water supply may serve just one property or several properties through a network of pipes and will generally supply water which has been taken from a spring, well or borehole.

Private water supplies may also take water from a stream, river, lake or pond. However this is not recommended as the quality of these water sources is more difficult to control and they are more vulnerable to contamination. All private water supplies within Wiltshire must be registered with Wiltshire Council.

Private water supplies are regulated by the Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009.

Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009

The Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009 regulate all private water supplies and private distributions systems. The Regulations aim to protect the health of people consuming water from a private water supply or private distribution system. The regulations require that private water supplies meet the same standards as water from a mains water supply.

With the exception of private water supplies to single domestic dwellings the regulations require that the Council risk assesses each supply every five years and carry out periodic sampling of the water to assess its microbiological and chemical quality.

Risk assessments will involve looking at the whole supply system from the water source to the tap at which the water is used. The risk assessment will identify the risks to the quality of the water supply including those risks from, among other things, livestock, wildlife, agricultural activities, sewage storage or treatment within the area, topography, water treatment and the condition of the supply infrastructure including storage tanks, reservoirs and pipe work.

The frequency at which sampling will take place and the microbiological and chemical parameters for which the water will be analysed will be determined by the volume of water supplied, whether the water is used for a commercial activity or public premises and the results of the risk assessment.

With respect to private water supplies to a single dwelling the Council must risk assess the supply and sample the water supplied if requested by the owner or occupier of that dwelling.

The regulations also apply to private distribution networks. Private distribution networks are networks which receive water from a mains water supply and then further distribute that water to a third party. Examples of private distribution networks are private estates, caravan sites, high schools, and colleges. The Council must risk assess private distribution networks every five years. The sampling and analysis of the water supplied will be carried out on the basis of the risk assessment.

• The Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009
• A leaflet issued by the Drinking Water Inspectorate regarding the Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009

Under these Regulations the Council will charge for the work it undertakes. Details of the charges can be found at the table below.

Private water sampling, fees and charges

The Environmental Protection Team monitors the safety of these supplies by taking routine samples of the water. The samples will be analysed for micro-organisms and basic chemical parameters like pH, lead and nitrates. The frequency of these samples depends on how much water the supply provides. If you would like to discuss sampling of private supplies please contact the Environmental Protection Team

Private Water Supply Costs 2012/13

Volume m3/day	Check Analysis	Audit Analysis	Sampling cost	Risk Assessment	Notice	Authorised Departures	Administration
Single Domestic	£25 (capped)	Free	£100	£100	£50	£100	£20
Domestic <10	£25 (capped)	Free	£100	£100	£50	£100	£20
Commercial <10	Actual costs*	Actual costs*	£100	£100	£50	£100	£40
10 to 100	Actual costs*	Actual costs*	£100	£125	£50	£100	£40
100 to 1000	Actual costs*	Actual costs*	£100	£125	£50	£100	£40

*Actual costs means the cost of the laboratory analysis as charged to Wiltshire Council.  Currently these will not normally exceed £70 per sample taken.

What happens if the water quality does not meet the required standard?

If the water quality of a water supply fails to meet the requirements of the Regulations then the supply will be investigated to establish the cause of the failure. We will work with the person responsible for the supply to try to identify the source of the problem and discuss the options for improvement.

These improvements may include things like:
fencing off certain elements of the supply to stop animals entering and contaminating the supply;
creating exclusion zones for the spreading of fertilizers or pesticides;
improvement of the drainage around the supply; or
replacement of pipe work.

In some circumstances it may prove necessary to install some kind of water treatment to kill any harmful micro-organisms or to remove or lower the level of a particular substance.

Examples of water treatment include:
ultra-violet filters to kill micro-organisms;
reverse osmosis filters to remove aluminium or nitrate;
iron or manganese filters; or
filters to remove lead.

If necessary we may also serve a legal notice on the appropriate responsible person to require them to take the necessary steps to address the failure and to make sure that the quality of the water provided meets the required standard.

If water quality from a private supply fails to meet the requirements of the Regulations this may lead to risk assessment and water sampling occurring at an increased frequency.

Why are these regulations important?

You, your family and visitors to your home or business all have a right to expect clean, safe drinking water. Private water supplies can pose a threat to health unless they are properly protected and treated. Contamination may not be detectable by smell, taste or colour so you may not be able to tell if the water is safe.

If certain types of micro-organisms are present in your drinking water then these will pose an immediate risk to your health and the health of your family or visitors. Certain micro-organisms can cause short term health effects, including severe sickness and diarrhoea, and can also cause serious long-term illness, such as kidney failure, long after the immediate effects have passed. In some unfortunate cases the presence of such organisms in drinking water has resulted in death.

The presence of some chemicals in drinking water may lead to an increased risk of poisoning or developing certain diseases if the water is consumed over a long period of time. Other chemicals may make the water look or taste unpleasant while some can cause clothes to be badly stained when they are washed.

Those at greatest risk of waterborne illness and disease are infants, young children, the elderly and the immunosuppressed.

Registration

If you are supplied by, own, or manage a private water supply within Wiltshire which is not registered with Wiltshire Council please contact the Environmental Protection Team

It is a legal requirement to register private water supplies with the local authority.

Abstraction license

If you wish to abstract water from a river, stream, reservoir, lake, pond, canal, spring or underground water source you may need an abstraction license from the Environment Agency. The requirement to hold an abstraction license is dependent on the volume of water you wish to abstract. For further information or to apply for an abstraction license please contact the Environment Agency on 08708 506506.

Public water supplies

Most people within Wiltshire are supplied with drinking water from mains supply called a 'Public Water Supply'. Public water supplies are those supplies which are provided by a water company such as Wessex Water , Thames Water or Southern Water

Wiltshire Council is not responsible for sampling and assessing the quality of water from public water supplies. If you are supplied by a public water supply and have a question about or are concerned about the quality of the water you are receiving you should contact the water company which provides your water supply.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate oversees the quality of public water supplies. The Drinking Water Inspectorate can be contacted on 030 0068 6400 or through their website.

Related links

General guidance on private water supplies can also be found at the following websites:

• www.privatewatersupplies.gov.uk
• www.dwi.defra.gov.uk

Last updated: 30 March 2012