Hartlepool Water plc
Introduction
The Company supplies on average 34 Ml/d of water to a population of approximately 90,000 people centred on the town of Hartlepool. The Company's water resources for potable supply consist of 20 boreholes operating at depths between 70 m and 200 m in the magnesian limestone. Water is treated at a single treatment site at Dalton Piercy which has two treatment streams. This is a central blending station where all water is subject to disinfection. Treated water is distributed via six service reservoirs and 481km of mains. The supply area is divided into three water supply zones.
Overall water quality
At water treatment works and service reservoirs and in water supply zones, the Company carried out a total of 2,342 determinations in 1999. Of these, >99.9% demonstrated compliance with the relevant PCV, but one showed a contravention to have occurred.
Coliforms were not detected at either of the Company's two water treatment works. At all of the Company's six service reservoirs, coliforms were absent from at least 95% of samples. Of the Company's three water supply zones in 1999, all complied fully with the relevant water quality standards or had breaches of the standards which were trivial.
Microbiological quality of water leaving treatment works
The Company complied with the sampling frequencies required by regulation 17 at all of its treatment works in 1999.
Table 10.1 shows the Company's performance in 1999, with data for 1998 and 1997 for comparison.
There were no contraventions of the microbiological standards at any of the Company's water treatment works in 1999.
Table 10.1 Hartlepool Water plc
MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF WATER LEAVING TREATMENT WORKS1999 1998 1997 Number of water treatment works 2 2 2 Works with no sampling shortfall 2 2 2 COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 312 312 312 - number containing coliforms 0 0 0 - % containing coliforms 0.0 0.0 0.0 Treatment works with coliforms detected 0 0 0 - % of all works 0 0 0 FAECAL COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 312 312 312 - number containing faecal coliforms 0 0 0 - % containing faecal coliforms 0.0 0.0 0.0 Treatment works with faecal coliforms detected 0 0 0 - % of all works 0 0 0 Microbiological quality of water in service reservoirs
The Company complied with the sampling frequencies required by regulation 18 at all of its service reservoirs in 1999.
Table 10.2 shows the Company's performance in 1999, with data for 1998 and 1997 for comparison
There were no contraventions of the microbiological standards at any of the Company's service reservoirs in 1999.
Table 10.2 Hartlepool Water plc
MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF WATER IN SERVICE RESERVOIRS1999 1998 1997 Number of service reservoirs 6 6 6 Service reservoirs with no sampling shortfall 6 6 6 COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 312 312 312 - number containing coliforms 0 0 0 - % containing coliforms 0.0 0.0 0.0 Service reservoirs with coliforms detected 0 0 0 Service reservoirs with coliforms detected
in more than 5% of samples0 0 0 - % of all service reservoirs 0 0 0 FAECAL COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 312 312 312 - number containing faecal coliforms 0 0 0 - % containing faecal coliforms 0.0 0.0 0.0 Service reservoirs with faecal coliforms detected 0 0 0 - % of all service reservoirs 0 0 0 Water quality in water supply zones
The Company complied with the required sampling frequencies in all zones.
Table 10.3 shows the Company's performance in 1999, with data 1998 and 1997 for comparison. Differences between the three years are not considered significant.
All contraventions of the standards in zones are covered by an undertaking.
Inspection
Dr K J White, Inspector, carried out an inspection of Hartlepool Water plc in a visit in November 1999. Dr White concluded:
- that the Company had responded positively to the recommendations made in the 1998 Inspection report;
- that the Company generally complied with the requirements of Parts IV to VII of the Regulations in carrying out sampling, analysis and reporting of samples taken for compliance purposes. However there were areas where improvements could be made, particularly in respect of analytical records;
- that the Company had in place a system for logging water quality (and other types of) complaint and it aims to fully resolve all complaints to the satisfaction of the consumer; and
- that the Company handled most of the consumer complaints audited in a satisfactory manner although in one case the Company had failed to keep the consumer fully informed of the outcome of the complaint.
Table 10.3 Hartlepool 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 1999. Column 'E' shows the number of zones for which new enforcement action is under consideration as a result of contraventions of the PCV in 1999. Please refer to the Introduction to Part 2 for more detailed explanation of this table. PARAMETER DETERMINATIONS in 1999 ZONES (3 in 1999)* Total Contravening PCV Non-compliant No. % CBU CBU E Number in: 1999 1999 1998 1997 Coliforms 228 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Faecal coliforms 228 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colour 12 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Turbidity 12 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Odour 4 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Taste 4 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hydrogen ion 12 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nitrate 12 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nitrite 12 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Aluminium 12 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Iron 108 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Manganese 108 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lead 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PAH 14 1 7.1 1 1 0 1 0 1 Trihalomethanes 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total pesticides 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Other pesticides 57 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 All others 262 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 1,094 1 0.1 1 - - - - - *3 zones in 1998; 3 zones in 1997.
Mr R M Walls, Consultant, working under the direction of Mr W M Waite, Principal Inspector, carried out audits of the Company's responses to the recommendations made by the Group of Experts on Cryptosporidium in Water Supplies in their Third Report (the Bouchier Report) and the incorporation of the Technical Guidance Notes on Water Supply Hygiene into the Company's procedures. Based on Mr Walls' report Mr Waite concluded:
Improvement programmes
- the Company has generally responded or is responding to the recommendations made in the Bouchier report. One area was identified where the Company's response could be improved. The Company generally has procedures which incorporate the Technical Guidance Notes.
In September to December 1999, Consultants Binnie Black & Veatch, working under the direction of Mr. W M Waite, Principal Inspector, carried out a review of procedures for distribution system operation and maintenance. Based on their report Mr Waite concluded that:
- As the Company is small, with only 11 people currently involved in the operation and management of its distribution system, lines of communication are short, which should inherently result in a greater awareness of how operational activities will effect other groups or departments within the Company than is the case in larger companies. The Company has started to document some of its procedures and this should be encouraged. The Company provided a detailed report of its working principals and supporting evidence of current practice which was reasonably comprehensive and could be used as a basis for formal written procedures.
As a result of these inspections, 32 recommendations were conveyed to the Company for formal response. Seventeen suggestions on various matters were also made.
The Company has already taken action or is taking action on all of these recommendations.
The Company had no undertakings in respect of improvement programmes accepted by the Secretary of State from the Company due for full completion or the completion of major steps during 1999.
Relaxations
An authorised relaxation for magnesium in zones supplied by Dalton Piercy treatment works had been granted to the Company by the Secretary of State, subject to review at the end of 1999. As a result of the review the relaxation was renewed subject to a further review in December 2003.
Incidents
No events regarded as constituting incidents in which drinking water quality demonstrably deteriorated came to the attention of the Inspectorate in 1999.
Enforcement action
No enforcement action needed to be considered for the Company as a result of the Inspectorate's work in, or pertaining to, the calendar year 1999.
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Published 12 July 2000; Updated 11 July 2001
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