Private Water Supplies

WATER SUPPLIES REGULATIONS 1991

Water Supplies and Sampling in the Wychavon District

Approximately one percent of the population of England and Wales are served by some 100,000 private water supplies. We have about 140 registered supplies in our district. Private Water Supplies are those which are not provided by a statutory water undertaker, such as Severn Trent Water.

The water can be from a spring, well or borehole and in some cases from a pond or stream.

The Government introduced legal standards to protect the health of people using private supplies, as it is essential that people have clean water. We have a duty to monitor the quality of water supplies under the Water Industry Act 1991.

Supplies are:

• Category one – Domestic use
• Category two – Commercial food use, or changing populations

Each of the above categories is subdivided into classes depending on the volume of water used or the number of properties served. This affects the frequency of sampling required. The larger the supply, the more frequently it needs to be tested.

Charges for Sampling and Analysis

Under Regulation 20 of the Private Water Supplies Regulations, we may recover from any relevant person its reasonable costs for sampling and analysing a private water supply. Maximum charges are set for the type of chemical and bacteriological parameters sampled for.

We are also permitted to charge for our administration costs, and this is currently £50 for each initial visit.

Unsatisfactory Water Supplies

If a supply is sampled and found to be unsatisfactory, those receiving the water, and/or the person/s with the license to abstract the water, or the landowner on which the source is located could all have responsibility to improve the supply. This depends on the circumstances for each individual case.

We have the power to enforce improvement of the supply by serving an improvement notice under Section 80 of the Water Industry Act 1991. The works can be carried out in default by the authority if the person on whom the Notice was served fails to carry out the improvements. Designated Officers of the Council have powers to enter land and premises to carry out sampling, and powers to obtain relevant information.

Generally in Wychavon, most failures are due to poor bacteriological quality or contamination with nitrates from previous intensive use of agricultural land. There are treatment processes available for both of these.

Methods for Improvement of Water Quality

It is important that wells, springs and boreholes are protected from contamination by surface water, animal activity, and septic tank pollution. Suitable location, design and construction are essential to minimise this.

At source:

1. Wells and boreholes should be sited uphill of and at least 30 metres away from septic tanks and pipes conveying foul waste.
2. There should be a sealed, waterproof inspection cover over any spring collection chamber, wellhead or borehole. This should be surrounded by benching that slopes away from the cover.
3. Construction materials should be such that they do not themselves contaminate the water.
4. Wells and boreholes should be lined to a depth where there can be no surface water contamination.
5. Spring collection chambers should be enclosed with stock proof fencing at least four metres distant. All overflow pipes and other relevant apparatus should be vermin proof. A ditch at least half a metre deep should be excavated around the collection chamber to divert surface water away.

At point of entry:

This is where the supply is treated prior to it entering the properties served.

The most common treatment methods are by filtration, disinfection or sterilisation. They can be used in combination to remove several undesirable contaminants, or singly for a specific contaminant.

At point of use:

This is where a treatment device is installed immediately prior to the tap or point of supply within the property. The same methods used above are available, but where there is a risk to health from untreated water used at other points (ie bacteriological contamination), it may be more suitable to treat the entire supply to a property or connect to the public water supply.

Other methods are available, and further advice should be obtained from a specialist water treatment consultant (Not a plumber). A list is enclosed for your information. Should you have any further general enquiries regarding private water supplies, please contact us.

For more information contact:

Environmental Protection, Environmental Services, Wychavon District Council, Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcs. WR10 1PT

Telephone: 01386 565015 - between 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday
Fax: 01386 561826
Email: environmental.health@wychavon.gov.uk