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Anglian Water Services Limited – Ryston works Nitrate

Notice under regulation 28(4) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended)

Reference: ANH-2023-00013

Version Number: 1

Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): Anglian Water Services Limited, with registered number 02366656 (hereinafter called ‘the Company’).

Assets Affected:

Asset Name

Reference

West Norfolk- Marham/Bexwell Supply System

SSC-001-WNM

Beachamwell Source

CBEA0WV

Beachamwell Source Borehole 1

ABEA1CV

Beachamwell Source Borehole 2

ABEA2CV

Beachamwell Source Borehole 3

ABEA3CV

Ryston works

TBEA

Wisbech PWSZ

ZFE48

Table 1: List of assets affected and associated reference numbers

Details of this Notice:

  1. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (‘the Inspectorate’) has received a regulation 28(1) report of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended) (‘the Regulations’) from the Company dated 1 February 2023, which states that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from Ryston works (and associated assets as applicable) that could constitute a potential danger to human health or could be unwholesome.
  2. Consequently, this Notice is served on the Company by the Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State, under regulation 28(4) for the assets listed above, for risks associated with:

Description of Risk

Hazard/ Hazardous Event/ Parameter

Hazard I D

Increasing risk of a Prescribed Concentration breach.

Nitrate

ANH-TBEA-A012-TR0908

Table 2: Table of the hazards, hazardous events, and/or parameters covered by this Notice, including the Hazard I D numbers and the description of risks.

  1. The Company are required to satisfy the following requirements.

The date given is that until or by which the requirements must be maintained or satisfied, as appropriate.

Requirements:

(a) To maintain the following measures for the period specified in each case:

  1. Regularly review and update groundwater risk assessments.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  2. Regularly review and update nitrate exceedance prediction graphs as part of the Regulation 27 risk assessment for the supply system supplied by Ryston works, in line with the Drinking Water Safety Planning approach, and ensure that Regulation 28 risk assessment reports are regularly reviewed and provided to the Inspectorate.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  3. Continue to optimise the existing blending option of the higher nitrate sources with the lower nitrate sources at Ryston works, to ensure compliance with the Regulations, until the completion of the additional control measures.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  4. Continue to implement operational and regulatory monitoring for nitrate for the raw water and final water at Ryston works and in the downstream Public Water Supply Zone.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  5. Investigate exceedances of the nitrate parameter in line with company procedures.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  6. Report all exceedances of the nitrate parameter to the Local Authority and Health Protection team and agree further additional steps to protect public health as appropriate.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  7. Report all regulatory exceedances of the standards for the nitrate parameter to the Inspectorate, as part of the current monthly exception reporting process.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  8. Continue to implement an enhanced monitoring strategy for the nitrate parameter, which shall include the monitoring of all high-risk water sources and associated final waters on a weekly basis to supplement the current regulatory treated water monitoring strategy.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  9. Continue to support any voluntary initiatives to influence nitrate usage in the groundwater catchments upstream of the Beachamwell source, taking a risk-based approach. In particular engage with and provide data to the Environment Agency and other relevant stakeholders as required on a regular basis.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.

(b) To review, revise or make operational the following measures, by the dates specified in each case:

  1. Complete the design, planning and procurement arrangements, to provide an ion exchange plant at Ryston works.
    Date: 31 August 2026.
  2. Complete the construction, installation and commissioning of an ion exchange plant at Ryston works, as designed in measure b(1).
    Date: 31 December 2028.

(c) To audit whether the measures have been effective by the following means:

  1. Define an audit strategy to monitor the effectiveness of the measures specified in sections (a) and (b).
    Date: 31 March 2024.
  2. Implement, and keep under continuous review, the audit strategy defined in measure (c)1.
    Date: Following completion of measure (c)1. onwards.

(d) Not to supply water for regulation 4(1) purposes from Ryston works or supply systems, or not to so supply unless the specified conditions below are satisfied:

  1. Not applicable.

(e) To provide the following information in the time and manner specified below to enable monitoring of progress towards the mitigation of the risks:

  1. Provide a progress report annually.
    Date: by 31 January each year.
  2. Provide a report to confirm the completion of the planning, design and procurement arrangements, of the ion exchange plant at Ryston works, as specified in measure b(1).
    Date: 30 September 2026.
  3. Provide a report to confirm the completion of construction, installation and commissioning of an ion exchange plant at Ryston works, as specified in measure b(2).
    Date: 31 January 2029.
  4. Submit the audit strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in measure (c)1.
    Date: 30 April 2024.
  5. Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.
    Date: Within 1 month of a revision
  6. Submit a report in the event that any completed measures of this Notice need to be altered in any way, for any reason.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  7. Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off.
    Date: 31 January 2030.

Further Details of this Notice:

  1. Any product or substance used as a result of the requirements in this Notice must comply with regulation 31.
  2. Under regulation 28(6) the Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, may by notice served on the Company, revoke or vary this Notice.
  3. Failure by the Company to comply with this Notice may result in enforcement proceedings under section 18 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended).

Signed

Nicholas Adjei
Deputy Chief Inspector, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
24 January 2024
Reference: ANH-2023-00013

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