Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009
New regulations relating to drinking water supplied from wells,
boreholes and other private water supplies, came into force on 1
January 2010.
The regulations require local authorities to routinely sample
supplies, to investigate failures of microbiological or chemical
parameters and to conduct risk assessments.
Risk assessments must be conducted within the first five years
after the regulations come into force, except for supplies to
‘single domestic properties’. Homeowners with a supply to a
single domestic property may request a risk assessment from the
Council, however this will incur a charge.
Single domestic properties on a private water supply
If your well or borehole serves only one property, you will be
classed as a 'single domestic property' and therefore are not
required to have routine sampling by the Council under the new
regulations.
If you live in a single domestic property supplied by a private
water supply and wish to have your drinking water sampled and
analysed, it is recommended that you contact one of the analytical
laboratories or water treatment companies to carry this out for
you.
Suitable companies can be found on
Yell.com (new
window) or in the Yellow Pages under ‘Analytical laboratories’
or ‘Water engineers’. Please be aware that you will have to pay the
company for this service.
Commercial, large and other supplies
These supplies will be required to be sampled on a routine basis
as determined by the regulations and periodic risk
assessments. Environmental Protection Officers will contact
all those supplies on our records to arrange sampling visits and
risk assessments as required.
Fees chargeable by the Council for performing its legal
duties
The regulations allow the Council to charge fees for its
activities in ensuring that private water supplies to commercial
and residential premises are wholesome.
In accordance with a request from Members of Parliament and
guidance from the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), Suffolk
Coastal provides the guide below to fees that will be payable by
the relevant person(s) for each supply as agreed by the Council’s
Licensing and Health Committee:
Maintaining your water supply
We strongly recommend that private water supplies and their
distribution and treatment systems are properly maintained to
prevent contamination of your drinking water.
Wells and boreholes should be suitably covered and protected.
Loft or other storage tanks should be checked and cleaned when
required. Any treatment systems such as ultra-violet (UV) and
reverse osmosis filters should be checked and maintained in
accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions and guidelines.
You may wish to employ a water treatment company to carry out
maintenance for you. Names of companies who carry out this kind of
work can be found on Yell.com (new window) or in the Yellow Pages
under 'Water engineers' or 'Water treatment'.
If you have an enquiry relating to private water supplies please
contact us on 01394 444624 or email
environmental.protection@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.