# Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989

The Water Supply Water Quality Regulations 1989 (SI No. 1147) are regulations imposed on the England and Wales Water industry by statutory instrument. The regulations were signed jointly by Peter Walker, Secretary of State for Wales and Michael Howard who, as Minister for Water and Planning, was responsible for implementing water privatization in England and Wales during 1988/89. Most of the measures came into force on 1 September 1989, and the rest on 1 January 1990. The regulations have been superseded by several later instruments.

## Revocation

The 1989 regulations were revoked in England by the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (SI 2000/3184) and in Wales by the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (SI 2001/3911). Further changes were made by the Water Industry Act 1991.

## Wholesomeness

Schedule 2 of the regulations prescribes concentrations for substances that affect wholesomeness.

### Table A

| Table A Parameters | Units of Measurement | Value (Max) |
| Aluminium | μg Al/litre (l) | 200 |
| Ammonium (ammonia and ammonium ions) | mg NH$_4$/litre | 0.5 |
| Colour | mg/1 Pt/Co scale | 20 |
| Copper | μg Cu/L | 3000 |
| Dissolved or emulsified hydrocarbons ( extract with petroleum ether); mineral oils | μg/L | 10 |
| Dry residues | mg/l | 1500 dry at 180 °C |
| Fluoride | μg F/L | 1500 |
| Hydrogen ion | pH value | 9.5 - 5.5(min) |
| Iron | μg Fe/L | 200 |
| Kjeldahl nitrogen | mg N/L | 1 |
| Magnesium | mg Mg/L | 50 |
| Manganese | μg Mn/L | 50 |
| Nitrate | mg NO$_3$/litre | 50 |
| Nitrite | mg NO$_2$/litre | 0.1 |
| Odour (including hydrogen sulphide) | Dilution number | 3 at 25 °C |
| Oxidizability (permanganate value) | mg O$_2$/litre | 5 |
| Phenols | μg C$_6$H$_5$OH/litre | 0.5 |
| Phosphorus | μg P/L | 2200 |
| Potassium | mg K/L | 12 |
| Silver | μg Ag/L | 10 (80 If used in treatment process) |
| Sodium | mg Na/L | 150(*) |
| Sulphate | mg SO$_4$/litre | 250 |
| Surfactants | μg/L (as lauryl sulphate) | 200 |
| Taste | Dilution number | 3 at 25 °C |
| Temperature | °C | 25 |
| Total organic carbon | mg C/L | No higher than normal |
| Turbidity (including suspended solids) | Formazin turbidity units | 4 |
| Zinc | μg Zn/L | 5000 |

### Table B

| Table B Parameters | Units of Measurement | Value (Max) |
| Antimony | μg Sb/L | 10 |
| Arsenic | μg As/L | 50 |
| Cadmium | μg Cd/L | 5 |
| Cyanide | μg CN/L | 50 |
| Chromium | μg Cr/L | 50 |
| Mercury | μg Hg/L | 1 |
| Nickel | μg Ni/L | 50 |
| Lead | μg Pb/L | 25 |
| Pesticides (individual substances) | μg/L | 0.1 |
| Pesticides (total substances) | μg/L | 0.5 |
| Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(i) | μg/L | 0.2 |
| Selenium | μg Se/L | 10 |
(i) The sum of the detected concentrations of fluoranthene, benzo 3.4 fluoranthene, benzo 11.12 fluoranthene, benzo 3.4 pyrene, benzo 1.12 perylene and indeno (1,2,3-cd) pyrene.

### Table C

| Table C Parameters | Units of Measurement | Value (Max) |
| Total coliforms | number/100 mL | 0 |
| Faecal coliforms | number/100 mL | 0 |
| Faecal streptococci | number/100 mL | 0 |
| Sulphite-reducing clostridia | number/20 mL | <=1(ii) |
| Colony counts | number/1 mL at 22 °C or 37 °C | No significant increase over that normally observed |

### Table D

| Table D Parameters | Units of Measurement | Value (Max) |
| Barium | μg Ba/L | 1000 |
| Benzo 3,4 pyrene | ng/L | 10 |
| Boron | μg B/L | 2000 |
| Calcium | mg Ca/L | 250 |
| Chloride | mg Cl/L | 400 |
| Conductivity | μS/cm | 1500 at 20 °C |
| Substances extractable in chloroform | mg/L dry residue | 1 |
| Tetrachloroethene | μg/L | 10 |
| Tetrachloromethane | μg/L | 3 |
| Trichloroethene | μg/L | 30 |

### Table E

| Table E Parameters | Units of Measurement | Value (Min) |
| Total hardness | mg Ca/l | 60 |
| Alkalinity | mg HCO$_3$/ litre | 30 |