---

Severn Trent Water Limited

 

Overall Water Quality supplied by Severn Trent Water in 2000 A total of 231,111 tests were carried out by Severn Trent Water in 2000. Of these tests, 99.90% complied with the Regulations.

 

Company Information
Amount of Water Supplied:	2,000 Ml/d
Consumers Supplied:	7.356 million
Areas of Supply:	Region stretches from the Humber estuary in the north to Bristol Channel in the south, Llyn Clywedog in Wales in the west to Lincolnshire in the east
Water Composition:	65% from rivers and reservoirs 35% from boreholes and aquifers
Treatment Works:	164
Service Reservoirs:	614
Km of Mains:	41,000
Water Supply Zones:	286

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 137,487 tests on samples taken in its 286 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	20,028	83	0.41	-
Faecal coliforms	20,028	5	0.02	-
Turbidity	4,038	3	0.07	1
Taste	1,407	1	0.07	-
Nitrite	1,568	4	0.26	-
Aluminium	1,602	2	0.12	-
Iron	4,748	29	0.61	16
Manganese	1,636	3	0.18	-
Lead	624	3	0.48	-
PAH	956	42	4.39	-
Benzo3,4 pyrene	958	5	0.52	-

Treatment works

• Of the Company’s 164 treatment works, 153 (93%) complied fully with the relevant standards. Failures of the standards at a total of 11 works are considered trivial or are unlikely to recur as a result of remedial action taken by the Company. Differences over the last three years in the number of treatment works, and samples from treatment works, in which coliforms or faecal coliforms were detected are not considered significant.

Service reservoirs

• At all of the Company's 614 service reservoirs, coliforms were absent from at least 95% of samples. Failures of the standard for faecal coliforms at four service reservoirs were considered trivial and unlikely to recur. Differences over the last three years in the number of service reservoirs, and samples from service reservoirs, in which coliforms or faecal coliforms were detected are not considered significant.

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

• The Company was inspected or audited by DWI or its appointed consultants on five 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
Annual assessment of 1999 compliance data.	April / May
Audit trails of five samples	October
Audit of plumbosolvency treatment and control programmes of work	November
Follow-up (by correspondence only) of response to recommendations made in 1999 inspection reports.	December
Inspection of distribution system improvement programme progress.	Ongoing

• No major deficiencies were identified but a number of recommendations were made.

Incidents

• The Inspectorate regarded 19 of the events notified during 2000 by the Company as incidents in which drinking water quality demonstrably deteriorated.

• DWI has assessed 15 of the incidents. Each was of relatively short duration and in all cases the Company took appropriate remedial action. Seven recommendations were made to the Company, mainly regarding operations and procedures.

• In addition, in 2000 an assessment was completed for one incident that occurred in 1998.
  

• Four incidents remain under consideration.

Nature of Incident	No. of Incidents	Assessment by DWI Completed	Areas Affected
Supply of discoloured water	12	Yes	Sutton-in-Ashfield, Wolverhampton (January); Malvern, Ilkeston, Derby (February); Walton (May); South Birmingham (June); Ripley, Hackenthorpe (August); Leamington Spa (September); Broxtowe, Droitwich (December).
	3	No	Malvern (February); Wolverhampton, Warwick (November).
Wholesomeness concerns relating to service reservoirs	1	Yes	Church Stretton (November)
Wholesomeness concerns relating to water in the distribution system	1	Yes	Whitchurch (June)
Loss of supply	1	Yes	Selston (October)
	1	No	Roel Hill (June)

Improvement Programmes Carried Out by the Company

• One remedial programme was due for full completion during 2000 and this was completed on schedule.

• The ongoing distribution system improvement programmes due for completion in 2003, which have been implemented by the Company, have been progressing satisfactorily.

Enforcement Action

• The table below indicates areas where DWI is considering, or has taken enforcement action for, breaches of regulations.

Parameter/Area	Number	Regulation Breached
Iron	2 zones	Regulation 3(3)(c)

---

[ Previous ] [ Contents ] [ Next ]

---

| A - Z Index | Business and Technical | Consumer Information | Contacting us |
| DWI Home Page | News | Product Approval | Search our site | Wales |

---

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 11 July 2001

---

Return to Publications and Reports Index

---

Return to Drinking Water Inspectorate Home Page

---

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)Home Page

---

The National Assembly for Wales / Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru Home Page

---

Web site terms
© Crown copyright 2001