Actions to take for a local authority where events using temporary supplies of drinking water take place

Introduction

The supply of drinking water to temporary festivals, and other events and shows that are not all-year round fixtures are normally provided by private water supplies. Temporary events that receive these type of supplies include non-permanent county and agricultural shows, music festivals, air and garden shows, hobby fairs and markets, and in some cases, outdoor fair-weather wedding venues.

Although the events and shows they supply many be temporary, in some cases the supply infrastructure (or parts of it) that conveys water to and around some temporary events may remain permanently in situ, and only put to use when the event is taking place. These systems will invariably need to be checked, managed and appropriately maintained at suitable frequencies when not in use, in readiness for when they are needed. Local authorities are advised to review these arrangements as part of their regulation 6 risk assessments.

Temporary events may be sourced from private boreholes, wells, springs, or surface water sources , or via onward distribution systems that are derived from a water undertaker’s supply system (the public supply). These onward distribution systems may be supplied via a direct connection to the mains network, or water may be transported to the location via tankers from other supply points on the public network to storage vessels on site. These particular private supply types must meet the requirements of regulation 8 of the relevant current private water supplies regulations (see guidance here).

The supply arrangements to any temporary event will determine the monitoring requirements that local authorities must carry out. In all cases, the requirements of regulation 13 (15 in Wales) (New Supplies) of the relevant current private water supplies regulations must be complied with.

In addition to the Inspectorate’s guidance on each of the regulations, as they apply to temporary events, there are several other relevant publications available, which local authorities, event organisers and others may find helpful. The following additional guidance is intended to help steer local authorities towards making the right decisions to safeguard supplies according to the risks they pose (see table below).

Key considerations

Planning for temporary events is something that can involve many stakeholders, dependent on scale. Large annual events may be in the same place every year using a dedicated private network to feed outlets. These need to be managed to secure the quality of drinking water between active and passive times over any year. Large moving festival events such as the Welsh National Eisteddfod move location every year and so require careful and timely planning for use, and for contingencies arising from possible supply interruption. The monitoring and risk assessment of supplies to all temporary events prior to the event must take account of analytical and reporting turnaround times, and the duration of sample transportation from site to laboratory. Anticipation and timeliness of this will ensure that any necessary investigation and necessary remedial measures that come to light can be dealt with without detriment to the opening of the event, or risk to what is a transient (and therefore more vulnerable) population of visitors to it.

In the case of onwardly distributed “mains” supplies to a private network, a Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations (1999) inspection will be required where there is a direct connection to a mains supply. This is a key part of the regulation 6 risk assessment. It is best to use the fittings inspectors from the licensed “main” supplier to do this. The outcome should form a part of the risk assessment by the local authority, ahead of the event (in accordance with regulation 13). The risk assessment should be used to establish any hazards that present any actual or potential dangers to human health, which in turn should be used to determine the regulation 8 monitoring suite.

All supplies that are derived from a private water source (for example: a borehole or well) must be regulated in accordance with regulation 9 on the basis that the supply is part of a public and or commercial activity (irrespective of volume of water consumed). This will also apply where licensed supplies (“mains” water) is mixed with private sources.

Local authorities are advised to ensure that as part of their regulation 6 risk assessments of supplies to temporary events, they are satisfied that event organisers have followed the code of practice BS 8551 (see resources below). Furthermore, that as part of this, robust water safety plans with emergency contingency procedures, are in place.

Where a supply to a temporary event is from multiple sources, local authorities are advised to consider any risks where these sources are mixed. Local authorities should apply a pragmatic risk-based approach when developing monitoring programmes for supplies to events of this nature, ensuring that the regulatory requirements are met .

Whilst a temporary event is taking place, local authorities should ensure that suitable on-site testing arrangements are in place (for example, residual chlorine measurements where appropriate, temperature, taste, odour and appearance) on site and that these are carried out by suitably trained and competent staff.

Resources

Free resources

• The Inspectorate’s website contains guidance for each regulation and how to apply them, there is also bespoke guidance for both local authorities and members of the public who have private water supplies. Private Water Supplies – Drinking Water Inspectorate (dwi.gov.uk)

• The Water Health Partnership for Wales has produced a very helpful publication on temporary events which is freely available on their website. Although this covers events in Wales where the Private Water Supplies Regulations (Wales) 2017 are subtly different to those in England, the basic principles for planning and risk assessment are shared. https://www.dwrcymru.com/en/water-health-partnership-wales/publications

Sponsored resources – codes of practice

• BS 8551: 2015 Provision and management of temporary water supplies and distribution networks. This covers aspects of provision of drinking water to temporary events.

• The Purple Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at outdoor events. This is published by the events industry forum and is very broad in scope. There is a dedicated chapter on drinking water quality.

Source type	Festival drinking water infrastructure	Type of source	Inspection by licensed water supplier for Water Supply Water Fittings regulations (1999)	Risk Assessment conducted?	Sampling to be carried out	Useful reference documentation Free documents: Inspectorate website guidance on regulation 8 and 9 Guidance Documents – Drinking Water Inspectorate (dwi.gov.uk) Water Health Partnership Wales – temporary event guidance 2023 Publications | Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (dwrcymru.com) Sponsored documents: British Standard 8551:2015. The purple guide for event management.
1	Permanent network for seasonal use; Permanent network for annual use	Mains fed via a third party	Required	Must be completed before proceeding, to allow for correct categorisation of potential risk to human health and associated mitigation.	Regulation 8 established by risk assessment
2		Private supply to outlets	N/A		Regulation 9 informed by risk assessment
3		Mix of public and private supplies on site	Required		Regulation 9 informed by risk assessment
4	Temporary festival, one off event	Mains water from tanker suppling on site vessel feeding private network	N/A		Regulation 8 established by risk assessment
5		Private Water supply feeding private network	N/A		Regulation 9 informed by risk assessment
6		Mix of public and private supplies on site feeding private network	Required		Regulation 9 informed by risk assessment