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South West Water Limited – AMP8 Treated Water Tanks Enabling Works

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

Reference: SWB-2023-00011

Version Number: 2

Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): South West Water Limited, with registered number 02366665 (hereinafter called ‘the Company’).

Assets Affected:

  • Treated water tanks listed in Annex 1.

Details of this Notice:

  1. 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 20 October 2023, which state that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from the sites listed within Annex 1 (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

Ingress and microbial re-growth.

C001 Total Coliforms (Confirmed)

Multiple hazard ID’s including:

Allers WTW 9211

Ingress and microbial re-growth.

C002 E. coli (faecal coliforms Confirmed)

Multiple hazard ID’s including:

Allers WTW 14264

Ingress and microbial re-growth.

C007 Colony Counts After 3 Days at 22˚c (Colony Counts)

Multiple hazard ID’s including: Allers WTW 14261

Ingress and microbial re-growth.

C003 Enterococci (Confirmed)

Multiple hazard ID’s including: Allers WTW 14263

Ingress and microbial re-growth.

C010 Residual Disinfectant – Total

Multiple hazard ID’s including: Allers WTW 34821

Ingress and microbial re-growth.

C009 Residual Disinfectant – Free

Multiple hazard ID’s including: Allers WTW 34311

Table 1: 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. Operate the assets listed in this notice in accordance with company policy, standards and procedures aligning with recognised standards of good practice.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  2. Maintain proactive external inspections, grounds maintenance, site security and asset maintenance including periodic inspection of hatches, seals, redundant assets, sample taps, overflows, washouts, and air valves.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  3. Maintenance of suitable records of remedial work completed on all assets.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  4. Escalation of all issues that present a risk to water quality.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  5. Maintain regulatory and operational sampling for E. coli, total coliforms and colony counts at 22°C at each of the assets listed in this notice.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  6. Maintain an appropriate contingency plan for each asset to remove the tank from supply in the event of an emergency (including definition of an emergency).
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  7. Keep under review residual chlorine concentrations to ensure appropriate set points and trigger values are in place to prevent a deterioration of drinking water quality.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  8. Carry out annual ROV surveys of the tanks.
    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 outline design and confirm the proposed solution.
    Date: By the dates listed in Annex 1, column C
  2. Complete detailed design of the chosen solution and start construction on-site.
    Date: By the dates listed in Annex 1, column D
  3. Complete construction and commissioning of the chosen solution.
    Date: By the dates listed in Annex 1, column E
  4. Complete the physical drain, clean and inspection of the tank.
    Date: By the dates listed in Annex 1, column F

(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 August 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 the sites listed in Annex 1, 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. Submit the audit strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in measure (c)1.
    Date: 30 September 2024
  3. Provide a report that includes
    • Confirm and evidence the outline design for each of the sites as required by (b)1.
    • Confirm and evidence the completion of the detailed design and start of construction as required by (b)2.
    • Confirm and evidence the completion of the construction, installation and commissioning of each site as required by (b)3.
    • Provide the internal inspection reports to confirm the completion of the cleaning, inspecting and remedial work by the date specific in (b)1.
      Date: by 31 January each year for the duration of the notice
  4. Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.
    Date: Within 1 month of a revision
  5. 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
  6. Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off.
    Date: 30 April 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
5 June 2024
Reference: SWB-2023-00011

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