Press Notice - 29 June 1999
Water companies must protest their supplies against Cryptosporidium bug
Water companies who don't adequately treat their drinking water supplies for Cryptosporidium will be liable for criminal prosecution, Chief Drinking Water Inspector Michael Rouse said today.
New regulations, the implementation of which begins tomorrow: require water companies to carry out risk assessments to identify those sites at which there is a significant risk from Cryptosporidium
require continuous sampling and daily analysis of treated water where a significant risk is found;
require water companies to treat water to a defined standard; and
strengthen the Drinking Water Inspectorate's powers to prosecute a water company which does not comply with the regulations.
Cryptosporidium, a parasite found in humans and animals, can be transmitted by water supplies as well as by other routes. The regulations follow a report published in November last year, which recommended tough new measures to prevent the occurrance of the bug in drinking water supplies.
Chief Drinking Water Inspector Michael Rouse said:
" I welcome these new controls which further protect public health against this nasty bug. Although water-borne outbreaks are fortunately rare, the new Regulations will ensure that water companies take appropriate precautions against them occurring. They will also provide useful information on the levels of Cryptosporidium in water supplies to inform future policy. The DWI will implement the new Regulations rigorously."
Notes to Editors
The Drinking Water Inspectorate was set up on 2 January 1990. Its main task is to check that water companies in England and Wales supply wholesome water and comply with the Water Quality Regulations.
These new Regulations which amend the existing Water Quality Regulations are called The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Amendment) Regulations 1999 and are available from The Stationery Office Limited ( ISBN 0-11-082706-6)
The regulations will create a new criminal offence, with a fine on conviction, when the treatment standard is breached.
The Regulations are supported by Guidance on Assessing the Risk of Cryptosporidium Oocysts in Water Supplies and Standard Operating Protocol for the Monitoring of Cryptosporidium in Water Supplies. DWI has issued an Information Letter to all water companies in England and Wales providing them with advice on the implementation of the Regulations.
Copies of the Information Letter, the Guidance and the Protocol are available from the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Zone 2/A1, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6 DE, telephone 0171 890 5956. They are also available on the DWI website, http:/www.dwi.detr.gov.uk.
The Third Report of the Group of Experts on Cryptosporidium in water Supplies was published in November 1998 and is available from DETR Publications Centre, Rotherham, tel 01709 981318 or by accessing the DWI website at http:/www.dwi.detr.gov.uk.
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Drinking Water Inspectorate,
Floor 2/A1, Ashdown House,
123 Victoria Street,
London, SW1E 6DE
Telephone : 020 7944 5956
Facsimile : 020 7944 5969
E-mail: dwi_enquiries@detr.gov.uk
Published 15 September 1999 / Updated 11 July 2001
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