Pollution control - Private Water Supply

     

Private water supply sampling

A private water supply is any water supply which is not provided by a water company and which would not be considered to be a "mains" supply. Private water supplies can be obtained from a variety of sources including:

• wells
• boreholes
• springs
• rivers and streams
• lakes or ponds

Some examples of what can contaminate a private water supply:

Micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses, etc) - can enter the supply from farmland where animals graze or where manure has been spread. The most common source of bacteriological water contamination is animal droppings. Symptoms of micro-organism contamination include nausea, sickness and diarrhoea. Discharges from septic tanks or cesspits may also cause contamination. Those people not used to regularly drinking water from private supplies are at greatest risk from this kind of infection. The Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) advise visitors and guests to drink boiled or bottled water.

Chemicals - including those associated with pesticides and sheep dip may enter private water supplies. Where sampling indicates high levels of nitrate, the water will not be suitable for consumption by bottle-fed babies.

Lead - many private water supplies are naturally acidic and may dissolve lead tanks and pipe work. This can build up in the body and may be harmful, especially to young children, babies and pregnant women. Acute lead poisoning symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pains, irritability, listlessness and anaemia. (These symptoms may be due to other causes and not just lead poisoning).

Ensuring your water is safe

All private water supplies can pose a threat to health unless they are properly protected and treated. You may not be able to tell whether your water is safe as contamination may not show by smell, taste or colour of the water. Unlike public supplies, many private supplies are not treated to remove contamination. If you have a private water supply you should:

1. find out about your water supply

• who is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance?
• where is the source?
• where does it go to get to your property?
• is it treated in any way?
• is the treatment equipment in good order & serviced regularly?

2. keep your supply safe

It is preferable to protect supplies at the source rather than treat the water afterwards.Protection can include:

• fencing off the land adjacent to surface water supplies in order to keep out grazing animals
• diverting rainwater away from the supply
• ensuring collection chambers are in good condition and are well sealed. This will prevent rainwater ingress and access by animals. Treatment can be at point of entry or point of use; however, all commercial premises are required to install a point of entry system which treats all water.

Treatment systems include:

• ultraviolet radiation - removes bacteriological contaminants from water supplies if properly maintained.
• chlorination/ozonation disinfects the water supply
• coagulation/Flocculation - removes colour, turbidity and algae
• sedimentation - reduces turbidity and solids in suspension
• filtration - removes turbidity, algae and particulate material

More information about keeping your supply safe and treating your supply can be found at http://www.dwi.gov.uk/consumer/faq/private.htm

3. register your supply with the council

We monitor the quality of all private supplies in the Shepway District Counil. However, if there are only a small number of people using the supply you may only require monitoring to be done once every 5 years. To find out if your supply is registered please contact:Environmental Health
Shepway District Council
Civic Centre
Castle Hill Avenue
Folkestone CT20 2QY 01303 858660 01303 853294 Environmental Health General Enquiries

Changing to a mains supply

If you no longer want to use your private supply you can ask your local water company about the possibility of connecting to the public supply. You will probably have to pay all of the costs. For further information contact http://www.fdws.co.uk/aboutus/index.shtml

Further information

Additional information may be obtained from the following related links: Drinking Water Inspectorate DWI is responsible for assessing the quality of drinking water in England and Wales, taking enforcement action if standards are not being met, and appropriate action when water is unfit for human consumption. Office of Water Services The Office of Water Services (Ofwat) is the economic regulator for water and sewerage services in England and Wales. It is a non-ministerial government department led by the Director General of Water Services. Environment Agency The leading public body for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales. Their job is to make sure that air, land and water are looked after by everyone in today's society, so that tomorrow's generations inherit a cleaner, healthier world.

You may like to visit the Water Pollution website where you can find useful information about the sources of water pollution and how they can be treated.