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Further evidence of farms as a category of premises at high risk of causing water to be unsafe as a consequence of unsuitable water supply arrangements
In October, the occupier of a farm premises reported discoloured tap water to the water company shortly after fire fighting activity in the neighbourhood. Samples collected by the water company contained E.coli and Clostridia. A fittings inspection carried out at the farm premises identified a cross connection between a raw water source intended for cattle […]
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Enforcement action where covenants exist
This case study describes a common barrier that was encountered repeatedly by one local authority when seeking to improve various private supplies in its area. After identifying the need for a supply to be improved through risk assessment, the local authority would then be confronted by the supply owner seeking to fall back on property […]
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The challenge of keeping private water supply records up to date – a joint local authority and water company task
This case study concerns a farm premises comprising the farm and three other properties, one of which is a holiday let. The premises was connected to the mains and therefore recorded on the local water company customer records. In October, a sample was collected from one of the properties as part of the water company’s […]
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Case of E.coli 0157 associated with a private supply to a rented property
This case study involves a private supply to two domestic premises; one owner-occupied, the other rented out. In November 2013, the local authority was notified by Public Health England (PHE) that the tenant had been hospitalised due to a confirmed infection with E.coli 0157. Other sources of E.coli 0157 infection having been ruled out, the […]
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Land agents – a sectorial group in need of water safety information?
In October, after power was restored to a public supply booster station, an operational sample was collected by the water company from a farmhouse and found to contain E.coli. On investigation the company identified that the contamination was likely to be arising in two privately owned tanks providing water to the farmhouse and three other […]
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Realising wider benefits from local authority private supply data returns
This case study provides local authorities with an insight into the wider public health benefits that were envisaged when the new private supply regulations were introduced and the Inspectorate acquired a supervisory role on behalf of the Secretary of State. In particular, the case study examines one aim of the Regulation 13 duty on local […]
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Are local authority records of private supplies being taken into account proactively and beneficially during planning and housing decisions?
This case study concerns a shared private water supply for domestic purposes serving four properties. The source of the supply is a borehole sunk in the 1960s from where water is pumped to a large concrete storage tank. Water then gravity feeds, by means of alkathene pipes, to each of the properties. Residents had made […]
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Illness reported by a visitor to a holiday cottage where the multi-barrier approach to water treatment had not been followed
This case study involves a private supply to two cottages, one of which is let out as a holiday cottage. Spring water collects into a holding tank on the hillside and then passes through a coarse filter (approximately 50 microns) and feeds by gravity through plastic pipework to both houses. At the holiday cottage the […]
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Private supplies require active management to ensure they are safe
This case study concerns a private supply serving a premises used by a charity for the provision of children’s adventure holidays. When the charity purchased the property it was registered as a private supply to a single domestic dwelling and no enquiries were made about the water supply, therefore it was not appreciated that the […]
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Water safety plan approach to improving the safety of a private supply
This case study concerns a private water supply serving a large estate where the original outbuildings and stables had been converted into 34 domestic dwellings. The source of the supply was two spring collection chambers from which water is piped for 2km into a large brick-built Victorian underground reservoir (20m3).At this point water was treated […]
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Exercising the power to enhance monitoring as a means of overcoming obdurate owners
This case study concerns a private water supply serving a small village, comprising dwellings, a shop, a public house and a primary school. From the spring collection chambers water is piped to a large covered storage tank where chorine is added before the water is distributed to the village. When, in January 2012, the local […]
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An example of a simple, but effective, regime for managing a private supply serving a public building
This case study concerns a private supply serving a sports clubhouse with residential facilities and communal kitchen. A committee of volunteers runs the clubhouse. The facility is let out on an informal basis to other members and visitors. The supply to the premises is a spring. The local authority identified this as a Regulation 9 […]