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Wessex Water Services Limited – Fonthill Bishop WTW Nitrate

NOTICE UNDER REGULATION 28(4) OF THE WATER SUPPLY (WATER QUALITY) REGULATIONS 2016 (AS AMENDED)

Reference: WSX-2018-00001

Version Number: 3

Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): Wessex Water Services Limited, with registered number 02366648 (hereinafter called ‘the Company’).

Assets affected:

  • T33081000 Fonthill Bishop Water Treatment Works 
  • Y440000101 Shaftesbury (Zone 101) 

Details of this Notice: 

  1. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (‘the Inspectorate’) has received a regulation 28(1) report of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended) (‘the Regulations’) from the Company dated 29 November 2017, which states that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from Fonthill Bishop Water Treatment Works (and associated assets as applicable) that could constitute a potential danger to human health or could be unwholesome.
  2. Consequently, this Notice is served on the Company by the Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State, under regulation 28(4) for the assets listed above, for risks associated with:

Hazard/Hazardous Event/Parameter

Hazard ID

Description of Risks

Nitrate

91587A012T33081000 

Nitrate carryover from catchment

Table 1: Table of the hazards, hazardous events, and/or parameters covered by this Notice, including the Hazard I D numbers and the description of risks. 

  1. The Company are required to satisfy the following:

The date given is that until or by which the requirements must be maintained or satisfied, as appropriate. 

Requirements: 

(a) To maintain the following measures for the period specified in each case: 

  1. Continuation of catchment management activities. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  2. Maintain site operating procedures and training documentation. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  3. Routine maintenance: Online monitors to be maintained as per company procedures and as per manufacturers guidelines. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  4. Water quality monitor data reviewed, and appropriate process changes made and recorded. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  5. Auto shutdown on the treated water on nitrate levels falling outside expected levels. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  6. Review and adjust auto shutdown trigger as appropriate to protect consumer health and comply with regulatory requirements. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  7. The water entering supply must meet the requirements of the regulations at all times and there should be the ability to quarantine or dispose of water not meeting the standards. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  8. Routine operational and regulatory water quality sampling of the raw and treated water. Any result outside of acceptable limits to be recorded and investigated. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  9. Increase water quality sampling frequency in response to results detected outside of acceptable limits. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  10. Operational borehole selection to enable isolation of individual boreholes. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  11. Maintain temporary nitrate blending facility. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  12. Maintain site specific nitrate plan. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  13. Advise health authorities of any exceedances of the prescribed concentration value for nitrate. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 

(b) To review, revise or make operational the following measures, by the dates specified in each case: 

  1. Complete detailed design and associated enablement work for blending facilities for water from Fonthill Bishop water treatment works; including the high nitrate pipeline for blending at Littledown SR.  This work will include major pipeline works, alterations at East Knoyle, a blending arrangement at Littledown and relocation of the disinfection process from Fonthill works to Littledown SR.   
    Date: Completed
  2. Complete, make operational and maintain thereafter the program of works in (b)1 for water from Fonthill Bishop water treatment works to ensure compliance with water quality standards. 
    Date: 30 June 2024 

(c) To audit whether the measures have been effective by the following means: 

  1. Define an audit strategy to monitor the effectiveness of the measures specified in sections (a) and (b). 
    Date: Completed
  2. Implement, and keep under continuous review, the audit strategy defined in measure (c)1. 
    Date: Following completion of measure (c)1. onwards. 

(d) Not to supply water for regulation 4(1) purposes from Fonthill Bishop Water Treatment Works, or not to so supply unless the specified conditions below are satisfied: 

  1. Not applicable 

(e) To provide the following information in the time and manner specified below to enable monitoring of progress towards the mitigation of the risks: 

  1. Provide a progress report annually. 
    Date: by 31 January each year. 
  2. Submit improvement programme scope following completion of detailed design and planning permission approval. 
    Date: Completed
  3. Submit a report following completion of construction. 
    Date: 31 July 2024 
  4. Submit the audit strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in measure (c)1. 
    Date: Complete  
  5. Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.  
    Date: Within 1 month of a revision 
  6. Submit a report in the event that any completed measures of this Notice need to be altered in any way, for any reason. 
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice 
  7. Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off. 
    Date: 31 July 2025 

Further Details of this Notice: 

  1. Any product or substance used as a result of the requirements in this Notice must comply with regulation 31. 
  1. Under regulation 28(6) the Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, may by notice served on the Company, revoke or vary this Notice.  
  1. Failure by the Company to comply with this Notice may result in enforcement proceedings under section 18 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended). 

Signed

Nicholas Adjei

Deputy Chief Inspector, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

27 September 2023

Reference: WSX-2018-00001

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