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Drinking Water 2000

A report by the Chief Inspector
Drinking Water Inspectorate

Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig

 

Overall Water Quality supplied by Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig in 2000

  • A total of 159,913 tests were carried out by Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig in 2000.

  • Of these tests, 99.75% complied with the regulations.

 

Company Information  
Amount of Water Supplied: 1,000 Ml/d
Consumers Supplied: 2.8 million
Areas of Supply: Most of Wales and parts of Hereford and Worcester and Gloucestershire
Water Composition: 94% from rivers and reservoirs
6% from boreholes and aquifers
Treatment Works: 109
Service Reservoirs: 564
Km of Mains: 24,900
Water Supply Zones: 183

Water Quality in Water Supply Zones, at Treatment Works, and in Service Reservoirs

Water supply zones

  • In general, to be wholesome, water must comply with the standards set out in the Regulations. The Company carried out a total of 75,145 tests on samples taken in its 183 water supply zones. The table below includes only the parameters that breached the standard. All other parameters fully complied with the standards. Parameter meanings can be found at the beginning of this section.

  • The last column indicates the number of failures in zones already covered by legally binding undertakings given by the Company to carry out remedial works to overcome the difficulty in meeting the individual standard.

Parameter

Total samples taken

Samples not meeting the standard

Percentage

Number of failures already covered by undertakings

Total coliforms

8,938

27

0.30

-

Faecal coliforms

8,937

3

0.03

-

Odour

1,228

1

0.08

-

Taste

1,029

1

0.10

-

Hydrogen ion

1,083

2

0.18

-

Nitrite

1,894

129

6.81

0

Aluminium

1,048

3

0.29

1

Iron

2,903

57

1.96

56

Manganese

1,337

13

0.97

12

Lead

584

3

0.51

-

PAH

740

57

7.70

56

Trihalomethane

675

6

0.89

4

MCPA

725

4

0.55

-

Simazine

379

1

0.26

-

Benzo3,4 pyrene

740

2

0.27

-

Surfactants

191

1

0.52

-

Treatment works

Service reservoirs

Company Audit and Inspection Link to expanded information (web site version)

  • The Company was inspected or audited by DWI or its appointed consultants on ten occasions in 2000. Where relevant, report summaries are available in the "Business and Technical" section of DWI’s web site under "Audit and Inspection".

Audit or Inspection

Date

Follow-up of recommendations from the 1999 annual inspection

January

Inspection of work being carried out on the distribution system

January, June

Annual assessment of 1999 compliance data.

April / May

Inspection of tankering activities

August

Audit trails of five samples

October

Audit of plumbosolvency treatment and control programs of work

November

Inspection of Company's control room

November

Review of procedures for operation and maintenance of the distribution network

December

Inspection of distribution system improvement programme progress.

Ongoing

  • No major deficiencies were identified but a number of recommendations for improvements were made. These were in relation to health and hygiene practices when working on the distribution systems.

Incidents

  • The Inspectorate regarded eleven of the events notified during 2000 by the Company as incidents in which drinking water quality demonstrably deteriorated.

  • Six of the incidents have been assessed by DWI. Each was of short duration and the Company has taken appropriate remedial action. One recommendation was made to the Company regarding the requirement to take timely samples during an incident.

  • Enforcement action was taken following two of the incidents which involved the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Cryptosporidium-like bodies in treated water.

  • During 2000, assessment was also completed for two incidents which occurred in 1999.

  • Five incident assessments from 2000 remain under consideration.

 

Nature of Incident

No. of Incidents

Assessment by DWI Completed

Areas Affected

Supply of discoloured water

3

Yes

Deiniolen (April), Rhyl (April), Merthyr Tydfil (September)

2

No

Merthyr Tydfil (July), Alwen WTW supply area (November)

Detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in treated water

2

Yes

Capel Curig (2 incidents in August)

1

No

Bretton (May)

Detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts like bodies in treated water

1

Yes

Garn Dolbenmaen (August)

Supply of water with taste & odour

1

No

Talybont (October)

Illness in the community possibly associated with the water supply

1

No

Caerphilly (October)

 

 

Improvement Programmes Carried Out by the Company

  • One remedial programme was due for completion during 2000.
  • The ongoing distribution system improvement programmes due for completion in 2010, which have been implemented by the Company, have been progressing satisfactorily.

Enforcement Action

Parameter/Area

Number

Regulation Breached

Iron

1 zone

Regulation 3(3)(c)

MCPA

1 zone

Regulation 3(3)(c)

Trihalomethanes

1 zone

Regulation 3(3)(e)

Cryptosporidium

2 works

Regulation 23B(1)
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Drinking Water Inspectorate,
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Telephone : 020 7944 5956 - Facsimile : 020 7944 5969
E-mail: dwi_enquiries@detr.gov.uk

Published 11 July 2001
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