• Action in the event of a failure at a single domestic dwelling

    This case study relates to a rural supply fed from a spring directly to a farmhouse, and a farm on which only the resident farmer works, therefore constituting a single domestic dwelling. There is no treatment on the supply, and the farmer approached the local authority to take a sample to satisfy the farm assurance […]

  • What constitutes a ‘commercial premises’ within the context of the legislation?

    This case study relates to a common source of confusion where terminology relating to public and commercial use is often misunderstood and wrongly applied. It cites an enquiry which provides a useful opportunity to put into context the scope of the Regulations in terms of how Regulations 8, 9 and 10 are interpreted by local […]

  • Classification of tourist springs and wholesomeness issues

    Historic springs that are used as a tourist attraction It is not uncommon for a spring to feature as a tourist attraction at a historic site visited by the public and in such instances information about the spring must be on the local authority’s private supply record. Such supplies fall in scope of Regulation 9 […]

  • 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 […]

  • Deershed Festival

    Since 2012, an annual three-day festival has taken place in northern England. Water is supplied for domestic purposes from a borehole. The borehole supplies a lake, which acts as a reservoir and the water is then piped to points around the festival grounds. As the lake level lowers, a pump is automatically started to draw […]

  • Successful prosecution of a relevant person for non-compliance with a Regulation 18 Notice

    This case study involves a borehole supplying three properties, one owned by the farmer on whose land the source was located, and which then feeds two separate downstream properties. It was risk assessed and sampled by the local authority in October 2012 and it was deemed to constitute a potential danger to human health. There […]

  • Verifying that improvement have been made to a village supply

    This case study relates to a Regulation 9 spring supply feeding a village with a resident population of 200 and a temporary population of 499 attending private parties. The source comprises a number of springs and collection chambers which range in construction and condition. Most of the collection feed into a main reservoir via a […]

  • The risk to water safety posed by eco-building design and the absence of effective procedures for scrutiny of the water supply aspects of planning applications

    In August 2013, the Inspectorate provided on-site technical support to a local authority when carrying out a private supply risk assessment at premises owned by the local authority. The premises was a public building providing educational facilities, including water sports for schools in the area. The design was intended to be an eco-building and the […]

  • Magistrates dismiss an appeal by a private supply owner against a Regulation 18 Notice

    This case study is about a large historic building open to the public regularly throughout the year. The private water supply comprised two sources: a borehole and well. The borehole water was combined with well water and disinfected with UV light just prior to where it was used in the kitchens. Untreated borehole water was […]

  • Managing the risk to private supplies from chemical spills

    This case study relates to a spillage of approximately 60,000 litres of liquid fertilizer from two storage tanks on a farm in a rural location. The tanks contained a mixture of urea, ammonium nitrate and sulphur, and the spillage is thought to have arisen as consequence of vandals opening tank valves. The local authority was […]

  • Regulation 8 supplies: out of sight out of mind?

    This case study concerns the unintentional identification of a Regulation 8 private water supply to 25 properties through the compliance monitoring programme of a water company. On detecting coliforms in a random sample, the company took further samples from the same property and a neighbouring one upstream. Both of these additional samples contained coliforms, so […]

  • Deciding whether a situation comprises a public or a private water supply

    This case study concerns a large estate with a land area of around 35sq/km comprising farms, schools, industrial sites and houses. The estate is managed by a trust, the responsibilities of which include the operation, maintenance and management of the water supply. The trust has been abstracting water to supply the estate since the mid-1920s […]