15 South East Water Plc
Overall water quality supplied by South East Water Plc in 2001
- A total of 61,509 tests were carried out by South East Water Plc in 2001.
- Of these tests, 99.72% complied with the Regulations.
Company Information
Amount of Water Supplied: 370 Ml/d
Consumers Supplied: 1.4 million
Areas of Supply: Parts of Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and West Kent.
Water Composition: 28% from rivers and reservoirs
72% from boreholes and aquifers
Treatment Works: 63
Service Reservoirs: 170
Km of Mains: 9,078
Water Supply Zones: 90Water Quality in Water Supply Zones, at Treatment Works, and in Service Reservoirs
Water supply zones
- To be wholesome, water must comply with the standards set out in the Regulations. The Company carried out a total of 32,641 tests on samples taken in its 90 water supply zones. The table below includes only the parameters that breached the standard; all other parameters were fully compliant. A list of these parameters and their significance 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. These undertakings required remedial work to be carried out to ensure compliance with the individual standard.
Parameter Total samples taken Samples not meeting the standard Percentage Number of failures already covered by undertakings Total coliforms 4,185 50 1.19 0 Faecal coliforms 4,185 6 0.14 0 Turbidity 509 1 0.20 0 Odour 408 1 0.25 0 Iron 1,026 21 2.05 15 Manganese 489 1 0.20 0 Lead 256 2 0.78 0 PAH 439 24 5.47 0 Oxidisability 98 1 1.02 0 Tetrachloroethene 136 1 0.74 0
Treatment works
- Of the Company's 63 treatment works, 46 (73%) complied fully with the relevant standards. Failures of the standards at a total of 15 works were considered trivial, or unlikely to recur as a result of remedial action taken by the Company. Enforcement action is under consideration for the remaining treatment works. 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 were not considered significant.
Service reservoirs
- At 169 (99%) of the Company's 170 service reservoirs, coliforms were absent from at least 95% of samples. Failures of the coliform standard at one service reservoir, and for faecal coliforms at five service reservoirs, were considered trivial or unlikely to recur as a result of remedial actions taken by the Company. 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 were not considered significant.
Cryptosporidium
- The Company carried out a total of 3,373 tests on samples taken from 12 sites. Very low numbers of oocysts were detected in 13 (0.4%) samples taken from five sites. All results were well below the treatment standard and there were no associated outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis.
Company Audit and Inspection
- The Company was inspected or audited by the Inspectorate or its appointed consultants on a number of occasions during 2001. Where relevant, report summaries are available in the 'Business and Technical' section of the web site under 'Audit and Inspection'.
Audit or Inspection Date Audit of incident notification procedures January Inspection of two water treatment works and one service reservoir August/December Audit trails of nine samples December Audit of procedures for compliance with Regulation 25 December Review of policies and procedures on contaminated land December Review of plumbosolvency treatment and control programmes of work. December Audit of progress with one undertaking December Audit of all Cryptosporidium sampling sites Various dates during
the yearReview of progress with the distribution system undertaking Ongoing
- Twenty-one recommendations were made in respect of action required to avoid the risk of a breach of a regulatory duty. These recommendations were in relation to the audit trails, the treatment works inspections and incident notification procedures.
- Four recommendations for improvement were made in respect of the plumbosolvency treatment for lead.
Incidents
- The Inspectorate regarded one of the events notified during 2001 by the Company as an incident. For further details on the classification of incidents see Chapter C, 'Events affecting Water Quality', in Part 3.
- The incident has been assessed by the Inspectorate. It was of short duration and the Company has taken appropriate remedial action. Four recommendations were made to the Company mainly regarding sampling, communications and procedures.
Nature of incident
No.of incidents
Assessment completed by DWI
Areas affected
Contamination of raw water supplies by spillages potentially affecting drinking water quality
1
Yes
Barcombe (August)
Improvement Programmes Carried Out by the Company
- Two remedial programmes of work were due for completion during 2001. These were to install treatment for the removal of pesticides at Beenhams Heath WTW and improvements to the disinfection system at Oakshott WTW. Both were completed on schedule.
- The ongoing distribution system improvement programme has been progressing satisfactorily. During 2000 and 2001, 173 km of mains have been renovated. The Company is required to rehabilitate a further 727 km of mains by December 2005.
- The Company has improvement programmes to meet the new and revised standards set down in the new Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000, which will come into force on 25 December 2003. These relate to chlorinated solvents at one site, plus additional work required to meet the new standard for lead. Progress with delivery of the programmes is monitored by the Inspectorate, and has been satisfactory
Enforcement Action
- The table below indicates areas where, in 2001, the Inspectorate considered taking enforcement action for regulatory breaches, and where an undertaking was submitted or where the Company took appropriate action.
Parameter/Area Regulation breached Location Outcome Iron Reg 3(3)(c) Oakley zone Pending Total coliforms Reg 3(7) West Ham High Level water treatment works Pending
table 15.1 South East Water plc
MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF WATER LEAVING TREATMENT WORKS2001 2000 1999 Number of water treatment works 63 63 64 Works with no sampling shortfall 55 63 61 COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 5,623 5,564 6,153 - number containing coliforms 20 12 5 - % containing coliforms 0.4 0.2 <0.1 Treatment works with coliforms detected 17 11 5 - % of all works 27.0 17.5 7.8 FAECAL COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 5,623 5,564 6,153 - number containing faecal coliforms 5 7 0 - % containing faecal coliforms <0.1 0.1 0.0 Treatment works with faecal coliforms detected 5 7 0 - % of all works 7.9 11.1 0.0
table 15.2 South East Water plc
MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF WATER IN SERVICE RESERVOIRS2001 2000 1999 Number of service reservoirs 170 172 171 Service reservoirs with no sampling shortfall 170 172 168 COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 8,811 8,789 8,797 - number containing coliforms 36 37 20 - % containing coliforms 0.4 0.4 0.2 Service reservoirs with coliforms detected 31 29 15 Service reservoirs with coliforms detected in more than 5% of samples 1 3 2 - % of all service reservoirs 0.6 1.7 1.2 FAECAL COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 8,811 8,789 8,797 - number containing faecal coliforms 5 7 5 - % containing faecal coliforms <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 Service reservoirs with faecal coliforms detected 5 7 3 - % of all service reservoirs 2.9 4.1 1.8
table 15.3 South East Water plc
WATER QUALITY IN SUPPLY ZONESColumns 'CBU' show, for determinations, contraventions covered by undertakings and, for zones, the total number of zones covered by undertakings in 2001. Column 'E' shows the number of zones for which new enforcement action is under consideration as a result of contraventions of the PCV in 2001. PARAMETER DETERMINATIONS in 2001 ZONES (90 in 2001)* Total Contravening PCV Non-compliant No. % CBU CBU E Number in: 2001 2001 2000 1999 Coliforms 4,185 50 1.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Faecal coliforms 4,185 6 0.1 0 0 0 5 4 1 Colour 430 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Turbidity 509 1 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 1 Odour 408 1 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 Taste 408 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hydrogen ion 1,069 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nitrate 527 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nitrite 396 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Aluminium 430 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Iron 1,026 21 2.0 15 8 1 13 13 14 Manganese 489 1 0.2 0 0 0 1 3 0 Lead 256 2 0.8 0 0 0 3 1 0 PAH 439 24 5.5 0 0 0 14 18 15 Trihalomethanes 222 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total pesticides 443 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Prochloraz 316 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Tri-allate 253 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Other pesticides 10,035 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oxidizability 98 1 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Tetrachloroethene 136 1 0.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 All others 6,381 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 32,641 108 0.33 15 - - - - 0 *90 zones in 2000; 90 zones in 1999. [ Previous ] [ Contents ] [ Next ]
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Drinking Water Inspectorate,
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Telephone : 020 7944 5956 - Facsimile : 020 7944 5969
E-mail: dwi.enquiries@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Published 10 July 2002
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