Water Quality Regulation in England & Wales

Marcus Rink
Drinking Water Inspectorate

JulyDrinking
2019Water Inspectorate

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Overview
Presentation covers :• History• Who are the DWI• What we Regulate• The Regulations• The Standards• How we Apply Regulations & Standards• The Offences and Available Actions• Outcomes of Regulation

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Why regulate drinking water – the history ?
• 1945 Water Act – Only 70% population had access topiped supply of mains water, grant provision aiming
to extend to 98% population.
• 1973 Water Act – after droughts, floods and service
failures, regional water authorities and water
resource planning introduced, about 98% of
population with piped supply but droughts andservice failures ongoing.
• 1980 EU Drinking Water Directive – before thendrinking water was required to be wholesome but
not defined.
July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

The position 30 years ago
Why regulate drinking water – the history?
1989 Water Act:• after further droughts, several serious water quality
incidents and threatened EU infraction, regional waterauthorities were privatised to enable capital
investment through access to financial markets
establishing water companies.
• legally enforceable water quality and environmental
standards in regulations and independent regulatorswith duties and powers to publish, enforce
improvements and prosecute.
July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Drinking Water Inspectorate• Established January 1990
– Section 60 of the 1989 Water Act established the Drinking
Water Inspectorate following privatisation.

• ~40 staff - 30 professionally qualified Inspectors, allbased in Westminster• Part of the Department for the Environment, Foodand Rural Affairs (DEFRA)• Chief Inspector acts autonomously in respect ofregulatory power. (Water Act 2003)• Independent of Water Companies, Environment
Agency Ofwat and CCWater
July 2019

Drinking Water InspectoratePowers• DWI has powers to•••••

Make regulations & directions
Appoint technical assessors
Enter premises and gather information.
Duty to enforce when breach of regulations
Prosecute for the supply of water unfit for humanconsumption
 Determined in the courts
 Criminal offence• Water Companies’ duty to: Supply Wholesome Water, Monitor, Record, UseApproved Materials, Provide Information
 It is illegal for a company or person to obstruct, withholdor provide false information

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

VisionTo protect public health and maintain publicconfidence by securing sufficient, safe clean
drinking water, now and for future generations
We will do this through proportionate risk based
regulation with a social purpose to aspire beyondcompliance.

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Objectives• To improve the quality and sufficiency of drinking water supplies
in England and Wales• To protect public health and maintain public confidence indrinking water• To promote strategic planning for water quality and sufficiency
now, and for future generations
And, for,• Water Companies strategically plan to achieve these objectives.

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Drinking Water Regulation
UK Law

European Law

Secretary of State

Water Industry

Competition
Commission

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Local
Authorities

There are two types of supply

Public(Large)
Supplies

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Private(Small)
SuppliesPublic Water Supply in UK• 22Water Supply Companies in England and Wales• 7 other licensed companies in England• Supply 13,707 Ml/d in England, 826 Ml/d in Wales• 54 million people in England, 3 in Wales• 1,129 water treatment works in England and 78 inWales• 3,512 service reservoirs in England, 459 in Wales• 313,673 km of water mains in England 31,364 inWales• 1,505 water supply zones in England, 97 in Wales

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

The Water Industry in the UK

Water only companies
1.Affinity Water
2.Bournemouth Water
3.Bristol Water
4.Cambridge Water (South Staffs)
5.Cholderton and District Water
6.Hafren Dyfrdwy
7.Essex & Suffolk Water (Northumbrian)
8.Hartlepool Water (Anglian)
9.Portsmouth Water
10.South East Water
11.South Staffs Water
12.Sutton and East Surrey Water
Local water and wastewater companies•Albion Water•Independent Water Networks•Leap Utilities•Severn Trent Services•SSE Water•Veolia Water•Icosa Water

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Private Water Supply in UK• 37,717 private supplies in England & 14,396 in Wales• 576,261(E) & 80,000 (W) people lived or worked in premisesthat relied on a private supply.
• almost 61,000 people living in 25,270 single domestic dwellings
served by a private supply that is exempt from regulatory
monitoring in England, with a further 30,000 people in 12,236
single domestic dwellings in Wales• 1,400,000 (E) and 400,000 (W) people will have attended
festivals, shows and other events served by a temporary supplyof water.
• For England as a whole, in 2015, (1%) of the total population (56million) was served by a private supply, whereas public supplies
served the majority of the population (99%). And for Wales,(3%) of the total population (3 million) was served by a private
supply, whereas public supplies served the majority of thepopulation (97%).
July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Local authority regions & Locations

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Drinking Water Quality Regulations• World Health Organisation (WHO) Guideline Values• Guidelines based on health impacts - not legally binding• EC Directives• 80/778 & then 98/83 on the quality of water intended for humanconsumption• UK Primary Legislation• Water Act 1989
• Water Industry Act 1991
• Water Act 2003
• UK Secondary Legislation• Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016, (Amended 2018),
2018 in Wales• Private Water Supplies Regulations 2016, (Amended 2018), 2017 inWales• Water Fittings Regulations 1999
• UK Direction• Water Industry (Suppliers’ Information Direction) 2017
July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

DWI Activities• Technical audit of Water Companies––––

Audit & Inspection
Incident Investigation
Compliance Data
Consumer Complaints• Technical advisors to Government on drinking water quality
issues & regulations• Advise Local Authorities on the Private Water SuppliesRegulations• Collection of data for EU submission• Notify (water quality & public health issues) to:– other Government departments– non-Government organisations• Products & Processes for use in drinking water• Programmes of work
• Drinking Water Research• Promotion of good practice
July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Technical Audit• Interim checks– Unannounced responsive audits• Scheduled audits based upon compliance data
– Based on information provided by the watercompanies on the quality of water leaving water
treatment works, in service reservoirs and ineach water supply zone; sampling requirements;
and progress with programmes of work• Themed Inspection– Programme of inspection looking at working
practices for each water company based on risk
either from accumulated data or specificinformation• Programmes of Work– Inspection of capital schemes for water quality

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Events“An event or sequence of events, as a result of which
the quality of the water entering or in public supply has
demonstrably deteriorated or in which - regardless of
the actual effect on water quality - the event caused
concern to consumers or the company”• DWI will investigate these and produce a report, theoutcome of which may result in:• No action when a contravention is deemed trivial or unlikelyto recur.
• Undertaking, Enforcement or Notices• Criminal Investigation – Leading to:• Warning• Caution (Simple or Conditional)• Prosecution
July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

The position today – 30 Years Later• Public supplies–Both Wales and England at 99.96%, compared to1.6% in 1991.

• Private supplies – ongoing concern about quality
and safety but some early signs of improvement.
–9.6% of tests not meeting standards in 2010
compared to 5.2% in 2017.

July 2019

Drinking Water InspectorateDid regulation work – Public Supplies

July 2019

Drinking Water InspectorateDid regulation work – Private Supplies
Private water supplies - England and Wales
1210864202010

July 201920112012

2013

2014

Private water supplies - England and Wales

Drinking Water Inspectorate

2015

2016

2017

Key Outcomes in 2017
• Lead – 1991 - 2,121 tests failed standard of 50µg/l.
– 2017 – 70 tests failed the standard of 10µg/l• THMs– 987 in 1991 compared with 0 in 2017

• Pesticides– 1292 in 1995 compared with 36 in 2017

• Iron and Manganese– 2,226 and 708 failures in 1991 compared to 82 and 20• E. coli at Treatment Works– 283 in 1991 and 1 in 2017
July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

All Failures in 2017
Wales
Total Coliforms

4

Taste andOdour

17Iron12
Lead

1E.coli9England

12NickelManganeseAluminium

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

WQ Contacts to companies 2011 –2017 (England)

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Brown, black and orange water 2007 and2017
2007

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

2017

Things Do Go Wrong

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Work to Do

July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Event Risk Index
500400300

20010002015
July 20192016
Drinking Water Inspectorate

2017

Looking Forward• Developing Regulation Focused on Risk
• Catchment Protection• Long term Asset & Maintenance Strategy• Resilience & Scarcity• Domestic Systems• Seek Multiple Advantages• E.g. - Leakage, metering, replacing aging infrastructure –leadJuly 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Final Thought
The primary objective ofWater Quality
is to maintain public health.
This is not a compromise!
July 2019

Drinking Water Inspectorate