Private Water Supplies

Under Schedule 5 of the Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016, the Council may recover from any relevant person its reasonable costs for sampling, risk assessing and analysing a private water supply. This may result in an increased charge compared to the 1991 regulations. Maximum charges are set for each element of the service and the charging policy in Worcestershire is as follows:

• Risk Assessment £55 per hour up to £500 maximum fee
• Sampling £100 maximum fee
• Investigation £55 per hour up to £100 maximum fee
• Granting an Authorisation (each one) £100 max fee

Analysing a sample:

• taken under regulation 10 (small supplies) up to £25 maximum
• taken during check monitoring up to £100 maximum
• taken during audit monitoring up to £500 maximum

If a supply is either a potential danger to human health or unwholesome, those receiving the water, and/or the person/s with the license to abstract the water, or the landowner on which the source is located could all have responsibility to improve the supply. This depends on the circumstances for each individual case.
Worcestershire Regulatory Services has the power to serve a notice under Regulation 18 for supplies that are a potential danger to human health. This can require the prohibition or restriction of the use of the supply and can specify improvements to the supply) For supplies that are unwholesome a Notice can be served under Section 80 of the Water Industry Act to improve the supply.
Designated Officers of Regulatory Services have powers to enter land and premises to carry out sampling, powers to obtain relevant information and also to authorise works in default if necessary.
Generally, most failures are due to poor bacteriological quality or contamination with nitrates from previous intensive use of agricultural land. There are treatment processes available for both of these.

It is important that wells, springs and boreholes are protected from contamination by surface water, animal activity, and septic tank pollution. Suitable location, design and construction are essential to minimise this.

At source:

• Wells and boreholes should be sited uphill of and at least 30 metres away from septic tanks and pipes conveying foul waste.
• There should be a sealed, waterproof inspection cover over any spring collection chamber, wellhead or borehole. This should be surrounded by benching that slopes away from the cover.
• Construction materials should be such that they do not themselves contaminate the water.
• Wells and boreholes should be lined to a depth where there can be no surface water contamination.
  Spring collection chambers should be enclosed with stock proof fencing at least four metres distant. All overflow pipes and other relevant apparatus should be vermin proof. A ditch at least half a metre deep should be excavated around the collection chamber to divert surface water away.

At point of entry:

This is where the supply is treated prior to it entering the properties served. The most common treatment methods are by filtration, disinfection or sterilisation. They can be used in combination to remove several undesirable contaminants, or singly for a specific contaminant.

At point of use:

This is where a treatment device is installed immediately prior to the tap or point of supply within the property. The same methods used above are available, but where there is a risk to health from untreated water used at other points (ie bacteriological contamination), it may be more suitable to treat the entire supply to a property or connect to the public water supply.

Other methods are available, and further advice should be obtained from a specialist water treatment consultant (not a plumber). Should you have any further general enquiries regarding private water supplies, please contact Worcestershire Regulatory Services on 01905 822799, or e-mail enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk or further advice is available via DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) e-mail: dwi.enquiries@defra.gov.uk

See our Private Sewers and Drains page

See our Guidance Notes on Drainage Provision in Rural Areas page

See our Advice on Private Water Supplies during Hot Weather page