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Private water supplies

A private water supply is any supply which is not provided by a water company, such as Thames Water.  The water may come from a spring, a well, a bore-hole, a pond or a stream.

Every home should have a supply of good clean water to be fit for people to live in.

In 1991 the Private Water Supplies Regulations 1991 were enacted, making local authorities responsible for ensuring that private supplies used for human consumption or food production meet certain standards.

The standards have been determined according to various factors.  For instance, where chemicals might affect health, standards have been set based on acceptable values for lifetime exposure.  Some standards also allow for the nuisance value of chemicals which affect taste, odour or appearance of a supply.  Finally, some standards have been set because the presence of certain bacteria or chemicals can indicate the presence of other, more hazardous substances.

Each local authority has a responsibility for holding information on all private water supplies in its District, and the Regulations include rules dictating how often samples must be taken and what the water must be tested for.

What Happens if the Supply Does Not Meet the Standards?

In the first instance advice will be given on various improvements which can be made.  These may include:

• fencing off a spring chamber to stop animals entering and contaminating the area;
• creating an exclusion zone for the spreading of fertilizers around the spring or well;
• the improvement of drainage around to supply; or
• the replacement of pipework.

Sometimes it may prove necessary to install a filter to remove or lower the level of a particular substance.

Examples include:

• Ultra-Violet filters to remove bacteria (E. Coli)
• Reverse Osmosis filters to remove aluminium or nitrate
• Iron and Manganese filters
• Cation Exchange filters to remove lead

New Private Water Supply Regulations

The Government is bringing into force new regulations under the Drinking Water Directive (980/778/EEC) in late 2006/07, which will impose new monitoring duties and provide stronger regulatory powers for local authorities. There will be new duties for the relevant person/s responsible for private water supplies. New revised water quality standards, a risk assessment approach, and tighter monitoring of water supplies are intended. The new regulations will specifically impact on supplies for human consumption purposes which on average provide 10 or more cubic metres of water per day or serve 50 or more persons, or are supplied or used as part of a commercial or public activity.

If you have been affected by the recent flooding

If you have been affected by the recent flooding you should assume the supply has been contaminated and is not fit to use without boiling. Alternatively you could use a bottled water supply, but please refer to the advice of the Health Protection Agency on giving bottled water to infants. Even if you have a treatment system, it may be the contamination is heavy (this may not be visible) and the treatment method may have been unable to cope with this. Therefore still treat the water as contaminated and boil accordingly.  If you are concerned about the quality of your supply, contact the Environmental Protection team for the safety of the water to be tested on 01993 861060.

To Find Out More

If your home or business is served by a private water supply, and you would like more information, or would like to arrange a test, or simply wish to check whether you are already on our register, please phone 01993 861060 or use the online service on the right of this page.

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