• 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 […]

  • Ref: 2016/02
• 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 […]

  • Ref: 2016/03
• 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 […]

  • Ref: 2016/01
• Case study 1 – cross connection with a public supply

  In April 2015, a Regulation 9 supply near Salisbury was risk assessed by the local authority. During the risk assessment, it was discovered that there was also a metered mains water supply connected to the private water supply network. This enables the use of mains water when there are problems with maintaining pressure on the […]

  • Ref: 2015/01
• Case study 6 – Inappropriate use of a private supply by a food business can give rise to substantive economic, reputational and regulatory costs

  This case study relates to the use of a contaminated private water supply by a large food factory that resulted in the authorities issuing a Detention of Food Notice and the granting, by magistrates, of a Food Condemnation Order under Section 9 of the Food Safety Act 1990. The consequential direct costs incurred by the […]

  • Ref: 2015/06
• Case study 7 – An outbreak of Escherichia coli 0157 infection amongst users of a private water supply when staying in holiday accommodation

  This case study relates to the circumstances surrounding illness suffered by members of three independent family groups holidaying at two cottages served by a private supply in summer 2015. The problem was identified by epidemiological surveillance. The index case was a seven-year-old male member of a family group of 22 individuals that had been staying […]

  • Ref: 2015/07
• 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 […]

  • Ref: 2015/08
• 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 […]

  • Ref: 2015/03
• Case study 2 – Consequences of a lack of procedures, site schematic or communication about the operating regime for a private water supply.

  In April 2015, a consumer in Devon, whose water for domestic purposes was being served by a Regulation 9 supply, experienced flooding in the garden of their rented property. To relieve what they assumed to be a blocked drain, the tenant called out a plumber, who located a manhole cover and saw what he described […]

  • Ref: 2015/02
• Case study 5 – Reinforcing the challenges associated with identifying Regulation 8 supplies and the importance of fully understanding the Regulations to ensure the correct response during an investigation.

  This case study relates to a water quality concern reported by a water company customer in Gloucestershire about a mains supply which on investigation revealed unusual supply arrangements which had some characteristics of a Regulation 8 supply. The consumer lives on a farm which receives a mains supply from the local water company. The owner […]

  • Ref: 2015/05
• Treatment requirements at a public building

  In September 2014, the Inspectorate was contacted by a local authority for advice on the treatment of water supplying a wedding venue, which accommodates up to 250 guests. Since the premises, (a large converted country house) holds community functions, the supply constitutes a Regulation 9 supply, as a public building. The supply was not being […]

  • Ref: 2014/14
• Determining the validity of historic agreements concerning the source of a private water supply

  In June 2014, a water company was contacted by a local authority about concerns they had about a drinking water supply as a result of carrying out a risk assessment. The source for the supply appeared to be located on land owned by the water company where there were cattle grazing and using a watering […]

  • Ref: 2014/03