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(for archive/historical purposes, this document has not been updated)Chief Inspector's Statement
Our mission is to be recognised by consumers as the effective guardians of drinking water quality. I am pleased to give an account of our efforts during the year 2000 towards achieving that mission.
This is the Inspectorate’s 11th annual report which covers drinking water quality in England and Wales. This year I am introducing a new style reporting approach which provides different levels of information for readers according to the depth and nature of their interest. This hard copy is designed for the general reader who has some scientific knowledge. There is a web site version which provides the equivalent level of detail to the printed version of previous years. For those readers seeking much more depth, many of the source documents are hyperlinked from the web site report. There is a companion report covering Wales alone in both English and Welsh languages. As before, there is a leaflet which summarises the results for England and Wales as a whole and leaflets on the results for each water company, with Welsh language versions for the Welsh water companies. Each year I seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of our information for both water consumers and those with a professional interest, and I value feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Meeting the Standards
There has been a further significant improvement in drinking water quality with the number of breaches of the standards reducing from 5,148 in 1999 to 4,475 in 2000. This has resulted in a small increase in the percentage level of compliance with the figure for 2000 being 99.83% compared with 99.82% in 1999.
There have been significant improvements in compliance for iron and turbidity, which indicate an overall improvement in the aesthetic quality of the water. This will not be seen by all consumers throughout England and Wales, as in some areas the extensive distribution system improvement programmes have not yet been completed. There has also been a significant improvement in compliance for lead which reflects the effectiveness of the programme on reducing plumbosolvency. Compliance for pesticides continues at greater than 99.99%, confirming that pesticides have been virtually eliminated from our drinking water. The continuing improvements show the effectiveness of the enforcement actions taken by the Inspectorate which total some 3,000 since 1990.
Cryptosporidium
A major activity during the year has been the implementation of the regulations on Cryptosporidium. These regulations, established to enhance public health protection, incorporate a treatment standard. Following risk assessment, 332 sites were identified as being at significant risk from Cryptosporidium. Programmes were then agreed with the companies on a combination of the installation of the required continuous sampling systems, the introduction of membrane filtration, which is an allowable alternative to continuous sampling, and the abandonment of some sites. By the end of December 2000, 188 continuous sampling systems were in place and in the period April-December 2000, around 37,000 compliance samples had been analysed. Oocysts were detected at 57% of the sites being monitored at some time since monitoring began. Six per cent of the total number of samples contained oocysts, but only seven samples from two sites exceeded the treatment standard. Exceedance of the standard is a criminal offence unless a company can show ‘due diligence’ ie that it had done all that could be reasonably expected in the operation of the treatment plant. In both cases the companies involved had shown due diligence and will not be prosecuted. In one case the greater knowledge arising from the compliance sampling has shown the existing treatment plant to be inadequate and enhanced capacity is being installed.
Most importantly, there was no reported increase in the level of the illness cryptosporidiosis in the communities supplied by those sites being monitored under the Regulations. It is too early yet to judge the effectiveness of the Regulations but the current indications are that the public health protection aims are being met. In next year’s report I will be able to give the results of a full year’s sampling, covering all seasons for most of the sites, and be in a good position to judge the value of the Regulations in practice.
Incidents
Until the year 2000 there had been an increasing trend in the number of incidents but I am pleased to report that 2000 showed a significant improvement. Not only was there a drop in the total number of incidents from 166 in 1999 to 139 in 2000 but, more importantly, there has been a significant reduction in the number of avoidable incidents. I have taken a tough line with the water companies, prosecuting where appropriate, and the companies have responded with improved planning and handling of their operations. The result is a greatly improved service to consumers, especially through the reduction in the number of incidents involving the supply of rusty water. However, there were an estimated 1.2 million consumers who received discoloured water during such incidents, so much remains to be done. Ongoing improvements depend not only on the completion of the improvement programmes in place to refurbish the distribution system, but also the care with which companies plan operational changes on the distribution systems and carry them out.
Serviceability
At the time that the Inspectorate was formed in 1990, many of the water distribution systems required extensive rehabilitation to solve water quality problems. The Inspectorate took enforcement action and most water companies entered into legally binding undertakings to reline or replace corroded cast iron pipes. These programmes, estimated to cost around £5.5 billion in total, will have been completed by most companies by 2005. Beyond 2005, there will be some continuing undertaking activity but sustaining the water quality improvement will depend upon adequate maintenance of the assets. The Inspectorate is working closely with OFWAT to develop improved serviceability indicators which can be used to determine the future maintenance needs of water companies. Good progress was made during the year and OFWAT and the Inspectorate will be working closely with water companies in taking forward the thinking.
Company Restructuring
The Inspectorate has been closely involved in considering the drinking water quality regulation aspects of changes to water company operations. There are no direct implications on quality regulation from a change in the type of ownership of water companies, but contracting out operations requires specific safeguards. The first example of this is Dwr Cymru contracting out its operations. One absolute requirement is that a water undertaker (i.e. the company holding the licence) must retain total responsibility for the quality of drinking water supplied. In practice this means meeting the requirements of the Inspectorate on information, responding to enforcement action taken by the Inspectorate within the required timetables and being wholly responsible for the performance and failures of its contractors. Another essential requirement is that sampling and analysis for drinking water quality compliance is carried out independently. The Inspectorate has worked closely with OFWAT in defining the licence conditions necessary in the changes made in the case of Dwr Cymru. Those specific conditions related to drinking water quality regulation provide a model should other water undertakers propose to contract out their operations.
Competition
The Inspectorate has a similar role in advising Government and OFWAT on the measures necessary to maintain effective public health protection, and compliance with quality standards, when considering the introduction of competition in water supplies. I am keen to assist in the stimulation of competition to the benefit of consumers but it is essential that drinking water quality, and thus public health, continues to be protected. The Competition Act, covering all industries, came into force on 1 March 2000 and provided a means by which some aspects of competition could be introduced in the provision of water services. In anticipation of this, in February 2000 the Inspectorate published guidance on the drinking water quality aspects of common carriage. This guidance covers what should be considered when introducing a new water source into a network, and what should be included in a common carriage contract between the water undertaker (the encumbent) and an incomer. One interesting legal position with current legislation is that the water undertaker would be open to prosecution under Section 70 of the Water Industry Act 1991 should water unfit for human consumption be supplied, irrespective of whether it was due to the failure of the undertaker itself, or the incomer. Clearly this is not sensible and legal provision needs to be made for all parties to be held responsible for their own actions.
Fuel Shortage
The period of shortage of fuel during 2000 reminded us all that water supply is one of the absolute priorities in life. Fuel for water company vehicles for water company personnel to check on installations and to make essential repairs, and fuel for those suppliers delivering essential water treatment chemicals, needed to be given the highest priority in order to maintain safe water supplies. It was interesting to me that the need for water companies to be given as high a priority as hospitals was not initially recognised by everyone. Perhaps in a strange way that is a tribute to the continuous delivery of safe drinking water having become so reliable that people had forgotten that it doesn’t just happen by chance. The Inspectorate advised the companies at the time that, in the event of difficulties in obtaining fuel, some of the compliance sampling could be relaxed during the period, but monitoring essential to protect public health had to be maintained. Water companies were expected, where relevant, to catch up on sampling when the period of fuel shortage was over. Most companies were able to maintain the statutory sampling requirements but there were a few areas in which there was a small shortfall in compliance sampling. This shortfall has not affected the Inspectorate’s ability to assess compliance against all the regulatory standards.
New Drinking Water Quality Regulations
The Regulations to transpose the new European Drinking Water Directive (EC 98/83) into national law were made for public water supplies in England in December 2000. Most of the regulations do not come into effect until December 2003 but programmes of work are being put in place so that the new standards will be achieved by that time. The biggest change is in the standard for lead. The current standard is 50?g/l and the new regulations require 25?g/l by the end of 2003, and 10?g/l by the end of 2013. The current programmes of work concentrate on additional water treatment to reduce the propensity for the water to dissolve lead from lead service pipes and other internal plumbing. The results from these treatment programmes will identify the extent to which lead pipe replacement will be required over the period up to 2013 to achieve the final standard. The Inspectorate is working with the water companies to establish the requirements and has a leaflet 'Have you got lead pipes?' which provides advice to those consumers living in older properties.
The first report giving compliance results against the new Regulations will be for the year 2004. In the meantime the Inspectorate will continue to report against the current Regulations, as they remain the statutory requirement. However, the intention is to provide some information prior to 2004 on what the results would be if the new regulations had already taken effect. It will be valuable to show the impact on compliance for lead. However, in some other respects the results will be improved as the changes in the standards for nitrite and PAHs will have the effect of reducing the number of breaches.
Information
I consider that one of the important functions of the Inspectorate is providing details on aspects of drinking water quality to both consumers and technical specialists. This Report is one important component of that. Our web site has been developed to give a stronger focus on the information requirements of the non-specialist. In particular, we have introduced a section which provides answers to the most commonly-asked questions and concerns of consumers. Following market research, which identified specific consumer interests in regard to water quality, we are preparing a leaflet on where water comes from and how it is treated. Numerous consumer enquiries also led to the preparation of a leaflet on using lead-free solder for drinking water fittings. I will continue to seek ways of improving and extending our leaflet and web site information.
At the end of 2000 we opened an Inspectorate display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. The display is interactive and is aimed at providing information on drinking water for all ages, but particularly for school children. Associated with this display we held a competition amongst the school children in the North West of England to name the cartoon character who answers questions on the display. There was a superb response from the schools with over 800 children having coloured the character and offered a name. The winning name was ‘Bertie Brightwater’, and we will use the appropriately-named character in the educational section of our web site, which is being developed for younger children. It is pleasing that many children enjoyed the competition and some have been able to visit the Museum to interact with the display. What is important is that many more children now have a much better understanding of drinking water, how it is checked for quality, and its importance to health.
Code for Enforcement
Each year I report on our performance against our code for enforcement targets. The full results are given in Chapter A in Part 3 of the Report. The targets are demanding but it is important to have such targets against which to measure our performance. Although it is important and satisfying to meet the numerical targets, it is vital that our energies are devoted to whatever priorities arise at any time in protecting public health.
We monitor our performance against targets closely, and work continually to improve our performance through developing our systems and procedures. I am pleased that I am able to report that on our inspection reports, 100% of the drafts and 97.6% of the final reports were made on target, and all draft undertakings were handled within the four week response time. There was continuing good performance in dealing with enquiries, with 99.9% of the total of 3,708 answered within target. There has been a significant increase in the number of drinking water quality complaints referred to the Inspectorate as a result, I believe, of more consumers being aware of our existence. We handled 281 complaints in 2000, compared with 195 in 1999. In spite of the 44% increase we were able to make assessments of 92.2% of the complaints within our code target.
We seek always to improve the quality of our responses to enquiries and during the year introduced an improved system of obtaining feedback. Generally consumers were pleased with the responses received but the feedback identifies areas in which we can improve on the way we respond and on the information provided. There is a trade-off between response times and quality of responses, and we will aim continually to provide good responses within our code target times.
I have mentioned that in 2000 there was a reduction in the total number of water quality incidents and in those that might warrant consideration of prosecution. I am pleased also to report continuing good performance in the completion of the assessments of incidents. In 2000 156 incident assessments were completed, more than in any previous years. Of the 139 notified in 2000, 107 of them had been assessed by 31 March 2001. There are now very few earlier incidents, other than those which might result in a prosecution, for which the assessment has not been completed. This is an important achievement as any required enforcement action by the Inspectorate, and the associated actions by water companies, to rectify deficiences in operations, can be taken more quickly.
Our Code for Enforcement includes provision for individuals to complain about the way in which the Inspectorate has performed in handling his or her drinking water quality complaint, or any other matter. In 2000, the Inspectorate received three such complaints which were investigated according to our strict internal procedures. In one case the complaint was upheld as it was judged that the Inspector involved in investigating the case had made a mistake on one aspect of the investigation, and changes have since been made to our procedures. In the other two, it was concluded that the cases had been handled fully in accordance with our performance expectations.
Forward Look
One important challenge for the Inspectorate over the next few years will be regulating a changing water industry. I have already mentioned water company restructuring with the move to contracting out operations and there is also the emerging scene on competition. We in the Inspectorate welcome all initiatives which will result in a better service, or lower prices, for consumers and will work with others to achieve those aims. The need for water companies to meet drinking water quality standards is paramount and there must not be any compromises in the protection of public health. We must guard against complacency. The safe drinking water supply we enjoy does not happen by chance, and the Inspectorate wishes to ensure that those essential safeguards, necessary to achieve the current level of safety, remain in place.
Over the last few years the Inspectorate has put a lot of effort in the investigation of incidents, particularly those associated with failures by water companies in the operation of distribution systems. There have been a number of prosecutions. The water companies have responded with greatly improved planning and improved operating procedures, improvements which I mentioned under Incidents above. As a result I have felt able to reduce the number of teams dedicated to that work and to transfer the effort to inspection activities. In the early years of the Inspectorate the inspection programmes were concentrated at laboratories, treatment works and service reservoirs. The resulting enforcement actions had a significant impact on overall drinking water quality. With the contracting out of operations there is a need to return to some of that routine activity but also to increase the level of unannounced visits both to works and to activities taking place in the distribution systems. It is, for example, important to check that contractors working on live water mains have been properly trained and that they are able to demonstrate that the necessary medical checks have been made.
The new Regulations are requiring additional measures to achieve some higher standards. The Cryptosporidium Regulations now being implemented in England and Wales have introduced greatly-enhanced water quality monitoring in the protection of public health. We are not aware of any ‘new’ threats to health through drinking water, but we maintain a research programme which looks to see whether there could be any emerging pathogens. Increasingly the research programmes are international with co-operation across Europe, North America and Australia. This increases the scope of the work which can be funded, and also brings together some of the most prominent researchers in the world, to investigate potential threats and to develop improved surveillance techniques. The Inspectorate will continue to play its part in this important area.
None of the Inspectorate’s functions described in the Report could be carried out successfully without the commitment and dedication of the staff of the Inspectorate. I am grateful for their support and hard work throughout the year.
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Drinking Water Inspectorate,
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Published 11 July 2001
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