Notice of Regulation: Northumbrian Water – Procedures and Documentation
NOTICE UNDER REGULATION 28(4) OF THE WATER SUPPLY (WATER QUALITY) REGULATIONS 2016 (AS AMENDED)
Northumbrian Water Limited: Procedures and Documentation
Reference: NES-2021-00001
Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): Northumbrian Water Limited, with registered number 02366703 (hereinafter called ‘the Company’).
Assets affected:
Whole Company Procedures and Documentation
- The Drinking Water Inspectorate (‘the Inspectorate’) has received a set of regulation 28(1) reports of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended) (‘the Regulations’) from the Company dated 21 October 2020, which states that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from all water treatment works and connected supply systems in the Northumbrian Water Limited supply region that could be unwholesome.
- 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 reported Regulation 28(1) Hazards where the control measure includes:
Regulation 28(1) Control Measure | Description of associated risk |
|---|---|
Procedures | If not correctly controlled or applied, could cause a risk to wholesomeness and constitute a potential danger to human health. |
- The Company are required to satisfy the following:
Requirements
(a) to maintain the following measures for the period specified in each case:
- Update works operating manuals and works procedures, defining normal operating ranges, triggers, response and contingency procedures, with controlled update and review programmes.
Date: Ongoing for duration of Notice - Ensure operational staff are kept up to date on policy and procedural changes.
Date: Ongoing for duration of Notice - Maintain adequate plans to protect consumers in the event of a risk to human health associated with drinking water quality. This should include liaison with local authorities and Public Health England to agree any actions needed to protect human health and issuing of advice to consumers, where required.
Date: Ongoing for duration of Notice
(b) to review, revise or make operational the following measures, by the dates specified in each case:
Document Control
- Complete a critical review of the company policy, procedure and documentation hierarchy and controls.
Date: 31 October 2023 - Identify improvements to policy, procedures and documentation hierarchy and controls.
Date: 31 December 2023 - Implement improvement measures to address (b)2.
Date: 30 September 2024
Translation of Policy to Local Procedures
- Evaluate all water treatment works operational procedures against tier 1 policy documents to ensure standardisation across the Northumbrian, Essex and Suffolk regions.
Date: 31 December 2023 - Update and re-issue (where required) all relevant procedures following completion of (b)4. evaluation. Ensure staff training is conducted alongside roll out of any procedural updates.
Date: 31 December 2024
Maintenance Plans
- Review the suitability of the company’s; asset maintenance plans, maintenance task specifications, maintenance task identification process and internal audit of task completion to ensure maintenance of assets is conducted at an appropriate frequency and standard to maintain the continuous delivery of a wholesome water supply, under Regulation 4. Include appropriate methods for escalation and action tracking when equipment defects are identified through task completion.
Date: 30 November 2023 - Identify any measures required to address the findings of the review completed under (b)6.
Date: 31 January 2024 - Implement any required measures identified under (b)7.
Date: 31 December 2024
Return to Supply Procedure
- Conduct a critical review of the company’s return to supply policy and procedures for assets, following water quality outages. Return to supply procedures should include water quality consultation and assurance checking that site procedures have been followed correctly.
Date: 30 September 2023 - Implement appropriate actions to address any findings as identified by the review in (b)9.
Date: 31 March 2024
(c) to audit whether the measures have been effective by the following means:
- Define an audit strategy to monitor the effectiveness of the measures specified in section (a) and (b). This must include detail on how the company will ensure that all procedures are operable and followed by appropriately trained staff.
Date: Completed - 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 company treatment works or supply systems, or not to so supply unless the specified conditions below are satisfied:
- 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:
- Provide a progress report annually; to include evidence of the completion of measures and the benefits delivered, timescales of any measures identified to address findings in (b)1, (b)4, (b)6 and (b)9
Date: by 31 January each year - Provide a copy of the audit strategy as produced in step (c)1.
Date: Completed - Submit a report in the event that any completed measure of this Notice needs to be altered in any way for any reason.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.
Date: within 1 month of a revision - Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off.
Date: 31 March 2025
- Any product or substance used as a result of the requirements in this Notice must comply with regulation 31.
- 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.
- 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
01 June 2022
Reference: NES 2021 00001
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