Drinking Water 2003

The Committee on Products and Processes for Use in Public Water Supply (the Committee) advises the Authorities on approval issues. The Committee is an advisory nondepartmental public body. It consists of six members with expertise in engineering, materials science, toxicology, chemical analysis, water treatment and consumer relations. Details of the current membership of the Committee and its activities are posted on the Inspectorate website: www.dwi.gov.uk/cpp/index.htm.

The Inspectorate provides technical and administrative support to the Committee. The Committee’s Technical Secretariat can be contacted on the following Email address: cpp@defra.gsi.gov.uk

The annual list of approved products

A list is published each year of all substances, products and processes for which approval has been granted, refused, revoked or modified, or for which use has been prohibited. This document is posted on the Inspectorate website. Although the legislative framework is different in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the approvals issued by the Authorities in England and Wales are recognised throughout the United Kingdom and in many other parts of the world.

Impact of the 2000 and 2001 Regulations

From 1 January 2004, Regulations 25 – 28 of the 1989 Regulations were replaced by regulations 31–33 of the 2000 and 2001 Regulations. The principal changes in the new Regulations are:

• Precedence is given to European standards and European Technical Approvals;
• No provision for unapproved use at the water undertaker’s discretion;
• No provision for traditional use exemptions from approval; and
• Introduction for the purposes of testing and research must be authorised by the Government Authorities
  

Guidance on Regulations 31 – 33 has been posted on the Inspectorate’s website: www.dwi.gov.uk/regs/pdf/Interim2003.pdf and Regulation 25 letter 7/2003 provided specific guidance on the new requirements for small surface area products that were formerly eligible for unapproved use at the discretion of the water undertaker: www.dwi.gov.uk/cpp/reg25/current.shtm

1 In Wales, the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001 (Wales)

Committee business

During 2003 the Committee met on six occasions:

• One hundred and one applications for approval were considered, including 45 new applications;
• Fiftyone products were approved and no product was refused approval;
• Approvals for 19 currently listed products were revoked as a result of unsatisfactory audit reports and nine approvals were revoked as a result of the prohibition of the use of PVC pipes containing leadbased compounds;
• The Authorities gave approval to the modification of conditions to one currently listed product; and
• The Authorities modified the national conditions of use for one water treatment chemical.

Communications with water industry and approval holders

Seven Regulation 25 letters were issued in 2003:

• Letter reference 1/2003 announced the issue of the 2002 list of approved products and the appointment of John Ashworth as the new technical Secretary;
• Letter reference 2/2003 reminded water companies and suppliers of PVCU water supply pipes about the prohibition of the use of leadbased compounds in the production of PVCU water supply pipes that took effect from 25 December 2003;
• Letter reference 3/2003 advised water companies on requirements for the civil engineering uses of concrete in water treatment works;
• Letter reference 4/2003 informed water companies about the new requirements under Regulation 31 of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 (2001 in Wales) for approval of products used in the emergency provision of water other than through pipes;
• Letter reference 5/2003 gave a further reminder about the impending prohibition of leadbased compounds in PVCU water supply pipes;
• Letter reference 6/2003 informed water companies of a notification to the European Commission objecting to claims that hydrogen peroxide containing silver compounds conforms to the CEN standard for hydrogen peroxide for water treatment; and
• Letter reference 7/2003 gave guidance on the requirements under Regulation 31 of the 2000 Regulations (2001 in Wales) for approval of small surface area products.
  

Copies of these Regulation 25 letters are posted on the website: www.dwi.gov.uk/cpp/reg25/current.shtm

Audit of approved products

A requirement for audit of approved products was introduced in July 2002 and the programme of auditing, which started in Autumn 2002, continued throughout 2003. By the end of 2003, 144 products had been audited and 35 formerly approved products had been removed from the 2003 List of Approved products. Some products had been removed from the list because they were no longer available; in other cases approval had been revoked because the product had failed the audit tests or because the approval holder had failed to comply with a condition of approval. Full details of products removed from the 2003 List of Approved Products are contained in Appendix 2 and 3 of that document.

European developments in construction products and treatment chemicals

The majority of chemicals and filter materials for drinking water treatment are now the subject of European standards. The 2003 list of approved products contains a full listing of standards published by BSI in its BS:EN series in Appendices 1.6 and 1.7. The European standards for testing the effects of organic products and materials on water intended for human consumption are listed in Appendix 1.8.

During 2003, the UK made a notification under Directive 98/34/EC of the new technical requirements concerning the use of hydrogen peroxide containing silver compounds. Details of the relevant Regulation 25 letter (6/2003) are given above.

The Inspectorate provides the UK’s regulatory representation on the European Commission’s Regulatory Group – Construction Products Drinking Water. This Group is developing the European Acceptance Scheme for drinking water construction products. The EAS will provide harmonised arrangements throughout the European Union for testing and acceptance of drinking water construction products. Progress with the EAS and a copy of the interim report are posted on the DG Enterprise website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/library/enterpriseeurope/issue10/articles/en/enterprise12_en.htm

The EAS will eventually replace the UK’s national approval requirements. DWI organised in 2003 a number of initiatives preparing for transition from national to European requirements for testing and certification. These included:

• Participation in meetings to disseminate information about the EAS and its implications for the UK (details of current activities are given on the Inspectorate’s website: www.dwi.gov.uk/cpp/seminar.shtm;
• Promotion of the certification and testing infrastructure. In 2003 BuildCert was appointed as a notified body for the purposes of the EAS;
• Research to assess the impact of European test requirements for the UK water industry and its suppliers (See Part 3 of this report); and
• In preparation for the EAS, the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) and the Committee have started to use jointly designated test laboratories.
  

Committee website

This layout and content were revised extensively during 2003 and now includes:

• Introduction of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 and Regulation 31 letters;
• Revision and publication of relevant European Standards as BS EN numbered standards;
• Report on progress of proposed European Acceptance Scheme (EAS) for drinking water construction products;
• Introduction of a series of Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) information sheets;
• New application forms and revised test methods;
• Replacement of the guidance to applicants with new advice sheets, “instructions for use” guidance and test protocols; and
• Advance posting of Committee meeting agendas.