Drinking water
The Council's Food Safety Team is responsible for overseeing the safety of drinking water in the county.
Private water supplies
Some premises have private supplies of drinking water. These include wells, boreholes and springs.
The Food Safety Team monitors the safety of these supplies by taking routine samples of the water. The samples will be analysed for microorganisms 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 Food Safety Team.
All private water supplies need to be registered with the Food Safety Team. Please contact us if you want to register a supply or to check whether your own supply is registered. This is a legal requirement.
You may also need to obtain a licence to abstract water from your private water supply. To apply for a licence or to check whether you are correctly licensed please contact The Regulatory (Water Resources) Team at The Environment Agency on 01278 484644.
Public water supplies
Most people in the district are supplied with drinking water from Wessex Water. We do not sample the quality of this water and Wessex Water undertakes its own monitoring. You should contact Wessex Water directly if you have a problem with your drinking water. The Drinking Water Inspectorate oversees the quality of water from water supply companies.
Last updated: 8 March 2010