Southern Water Services Limited – Mid Thanet – Nitrate
Notice under regulation 28(4) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended)
Reference: SRN-2020-00003
Version Number: 5
Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): Southern Water Services Limited, with registered number 02366670 (hereinafter called ‘the Company’).
Assets Affected:
- TK023 Deal Low Level WSW
- TK024 Flemings Road Woodnesborough WSW
- TK025 Lord of the Manor WSW
- TK028 Minster IOT WSW
- TK032 Sparrow Castle Acol WSW
- TK033 Sutton Water Supply Works
- TK034 Wingham WSW
- TK035 Beacon Lane Woodnesborough WSW
- TK042 Wingham Fleete WSW
- Y0101 Thanet
Details of this Notice:
- 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 28 December 2017, which states that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from Mid Thanet supply system, and associated assets as applicable, that could constitute a potential danger to human health or could be unwholesome.
- 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:
|
Description of Risk |
Hazard/ Hazardous Event/ Parameter |
Hazard I D |
|---|---|---|
|
Ingress route and failure of treatment process |
E. coli |
For example: 51106 |
|
Ingress route and failure of treatment process |
Enterococci |
For example: 51107 |
|
Increasing nitrate in source waters |
Nitrate |
For example: 51127 |
|
Insufficient water supply to downstream consumers |
No Supply |
For example: 51163 |
|
Failure of treatment poses risk to wholesomeness |
Turbidity |
For example: 70318 |
- The Company are required to satisfy the following requirements.
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:
- Perform enhanced sampling and monitoring (once available) for nitrates.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Maintain current blending in reservoirs.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Where mitigation is achieved by blending in reservoirs, perform monitoring of nitrate concentration at the reservoirs.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Monitoring and reporting of the impact of any changes made.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Minster IOT WSW to be operated by blending with water in downstream reservoirs.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Maintain blending of Sparrow Castle WSW water in downstream reservoirs
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Maintain current blending in Deal reservoir.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Implement an enhanced monitoring strategy for nitrate to include the monitoring of all high-risk raw water sources and associated final waters to supplement the current regulatory treated water monitoring.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Report all exceedances of the nitrate parameter to the Local Authority and Health Protection team and agree further additional steps to protect public health as appropriate.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Report all regulatory exceedances of the standards for the nitrate parameter to DWI as part of current monthly exception reporting process.
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:
- Installation of ion exchange “over treatment” at Martin Gorse WSW.
Date: 30 September 2024 - Installation and commission of:
Raw water pipeline from Sutton WSW to Martin Gorse WSW.
Ion exchange-treated water pipeline from Martin Gorse WSW to Sutton WSW.
Raw water connection to ion exchange from Martin Gorse WSW.
Date: 30 September 2024 - Installation and commissioning of ion exchange “over treatment” at Wingham WSW.
Date: 31 December 2025 - Installation and commissioning of ion exchange “over treatment” at Flemings Road Woodnesborough WSW.
Date: 31 December 2025 - Installation and commissioning of a raw water transfer main from Beacon Lane Woodnesborough WSW to Flemings Road Woodnesborough WSW.
Date: 31 December 2025 - Complete and commission the long-term solution for Wingham Contact tank.
Date: 31 December 2025
(c) To audit whether the measures have been effective by the following means:
- Define an audit strategy to monitor the effectiveness of the measures specified in sections (a) and (b).
Date: Complete - 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 Minster WSW or Lord of the Manor WSW, or not to so supply unless the specified conditions below are satisfied:
- For Minster WSW; nitrate concentrations at Fleete WSR are below the prescribed concentration or value (50μg/l) or steps (b)2, 3, 4 and 5 are completed.
Date: Until completion of (b)2, 3, 4 and 5 - For Lord of the Manor WSW; unless the existing ion exchange nitrate removal plant is operated sufficiently to reduce nitrate concentrations to below the prescribed concentration or value (50μg/l) or steps (b)2, 3, 4 and 5 are completed.
Date: Until completion of (b)2, 3, 4 and 5
(e) To provide the following information in the time and manner specified below to enable monitoring of progress towards the mitigation of the risks:
- Provide a progress report annually.
Date: by 31 January each year. - Report confirming installation of ion exchange “over treatment” at Martin Gorse WSW.
Date: 31 October 2024 - Report confirming installation and commissioning of Raw water pipeline from Sutton WSW to Martin Gorse WSW. Ion exchange-treated water pipeline from Martin Gorse WSW to Sutton WSW. Raw water connection to ion exchange from Martin Gorse WSW.
Date: 31 October 2024 - Submit a benefit of use report for the Martin Gorse WSW ion exchange “over treatment”.
Date: 31 October 2025 - Report confirming installation and commissioning of ion exchange “over treatment” at Wingham WSW.
Date: 31 January 2026 - Report confirming installation and commissioning of ion exchange “over treatment” at Flemings Road Woodnesborough WSW.
Date: 31 January 2026 - Report confirming installation and commissioning of a raw water transfer main from Beacon Lane Woodnesborough WSW to Flemings Road Woodnesborough WSW.
Date: 31 January 2026 - Report confirming completion and commissioning of long-term solution for Wingham Contact Tank.
Date: 31 January 2026 - Submit the audit strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in measure (c)1.
Date: Complete - Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.
Date: Within 1 month of a revision - 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 - Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off.
Date: 31 January 2027
Further Details of this Notice:
- Any product or substance used as a result of the requirements in this Notice must comply with regulation 31.
- 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.
- 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).
- Contravention of a regulation 28(4)(d) requirement is an offence under regulation 33(1). If guilty of such an offence, the Company is liable on summary conviction, or on conviction on indictment, to a fine. Under regulation 33(2) it is a defence for the Company to show that it took all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence.
Signed
Nicholas Adjei
Deputy Chief Inspector, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
12 October 2023
Reference: SRN-2020-0003 V5