• Private water supply dispute and disconnection threat

    This case study concerns a private water supply which originates from a well and supplies a house, and a downstream rented property constituting a Regulation 9 supply. Occupants of the downstream property believe that their supply of water is granted by a “Deed of Easement” dated 1973 which entitles them to a free supply of […]

  • Change of supply for long-term remediation

    This case study concerns another example of a high risk private water supply at a salad growing nursery in south east England. In this instance the water was again derived from ground water sources and consumed by owners and migrant workers for domestic purposes, as well as used for watering crops. The supply was risk […]

  • Investigation of unusual taste and odour

    This case study concerns a Regulation 9 supply which is located off the coast of southern England. The supply serves an hotel from a single borehole and undergoes filtration, UV treatment and chlorination. The location of the borehole means that local authority’s regulatory monitoring and risk assessment obligations can be logistically challenging it can only […]

  • Unsubstantiated report of illness from consumption of a private supply

    In June 2017, the Inspectorate received a contact from a consumer reporting that she had suffered diarrhoea and other long-term affects after consuming water from a restaurant in a popular tourist spot whilst on holiday in the preceding month. Whilst dining at the restaurant she was informed by staff that the water was sourced from […]

  • Water quality affected by external quarrying activities

    In November 2014, a local authority in the north of England received complaints from consumers experiencing discoloured water from a spring fed private supply which they believed was the consequence of quarrying activities in the local catchment. In April 2015, the local authority served both a Regulation 18 Notice (on the basis that they believed […]

  • Dispute between relevant persons on a large Regulation 8 supply

    This case study concerns a complex Regulation 8 supply on a large and historic military site, the owner of which is a water company customer that further distributes water from the public supply to consumers located on one of many parcels of land that have been sold off over many years. These parcels of land […]

  • Faecal contamination of a supply

    This case study concerns a Regulation 9 supply which feeds an estate encompassing nine residential properties and a commercial unit which has a coffee shop supplying drinks to members of the public. The supply consists of a single borehole, nitrate removal by ion exchange and an automated chlorination system. Water is pumped to a covered […]

  • Successful prosecution of a relevant person for noncompliance with a Regulation 18 Notice

    This case study was initially reported in the Private Water Supplies annual report for 2015. The supply consists of a borehole supplying three properties, one owned by the farmer on whose land the source was located and two separate downstream properties. In October 2012, following a local authority risk assessment, the supply was deemed to […]

  • Private supplies in salad growing nurseries

    Case study 8, published in Drinking water 2015, described a number of Regulation 9 private water supplies that were being used for domestic purposes by migrant workers on a salad growing nursery site in southeast England. These supplies had been poorly managed and maintained over decades, leading to a multitude of hazards manifesting, which in […]

  • Change of status of a Regulation 8 supply

    In October 2012 the Inspectorate received a contact from a consumer complaining of particulates in their drinking water. The Inspectorate’s investigation revealed that this consumer was receiving their supply of water from a public distribution system via a storage reservoir sited on a neighbour’s property which served both the consumer and their neighbour. This arrangement […]

  • Case study 3 – Identification of a new Regulation 8 supply, and the need for local authorities and water companies to adopt a joint approach.

    In May a local authority in the Midlands became aware that the occupier of a single domestic dwelling in their area served by a borehole had ceased using the water for domestic purposes because they had problems in maintaining it. To maintain a supply to the property, the occupier connected into their neighbour’s mains water […]

  • Case study 8 – Risks associated with change of use from a supply for non-domestic purposes to domestic purposes

    This case study illustrates some examples of the legacy of historical deficiencies of the private water supplies legislation prior to the current legislation. This is illustrated in relation to a regional industrial group of Regulation 9 supplies located in south-east England. These supplies serve an area of salad growing nurseries, which supply produce to some […]