11 MID KENT WATER PLC
Introduction
Mid Kent Water plc supplies on average about 159 Ml/d of water to about 563,300 consumers in Maidstone, Ashford, Canterbury and surrounding areas. Approximately 12% of the Company’s water supplies come from a lowland pumped storage reservoir. The remainder (88%) comes from boreholes in the chalk, greensands and Ashdown sands. The Company has 31 treatment works on 31 sites, and distributes water through 4,167 km of pipes and 68 service reservoirs to 21 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 27,512 determinations in 2000. Of these, 99.81% demonstrated compliance with the relevant PCV, but 53 showed a contravention to have occurred.
Coliforms were not detected at 29 (94%) of the Company's 31 water treatment works. At all of the Company's 68 service reservoirs, coliforms were absent from at least 95% of samples. Of the Company's 21 water supply zones in 2000, 20 (95%) complied fully with the relevant water quality standards or had breaches of the standards which were either trivial or were fully covered by undertakings. In one zone, some breaches could result in enforcement action.
Microbiological quality of water leaving treatment works
The Company complied with the sampling frequencies required by regulation 17 all its treatment works in 2000.
Table 11.1 shows the Company's performance in 2000, with data for 1999 and 1998 for comparison. Differences over the last three years in the number of treatment works, and samples from treatment works in which coliforms were detected are not considered significant.
All contraventions of the standards at works are considered trivial or unlikely to recur.
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 2000.
Table 11.2 shows the Company's performance in 2000, with data for 1999 and 1998 for comparison. There has been a significant decrease since 1999 in the number of service reservoirs, and samples from service reservoirs, in which faecal coliforms were detected. All other differences are not considered significant.
All contraventions of the standards at service reservoirs are considered trivial.
Water quality in water supply zones
The Company complied with the required sampling frequencies for all parameters in all zones.
Table 11.3 shows the Company's performance in 2000, with data for 1999 and 1998 for comparison. There has been a significant reduction since 1999 in the number of zones failing to comply with the standard for PAH. All other differences in zones are not considered significant.
Enforcement action is being considered in respect of some contraventions of standards, as shown in tables 11.3 and 11.4 All other contraventions of the standards in zones are considered trivial or covered by undertakings.
Inspection
Audit trails of five samples
Mr R M Walls, Consultant, working under the direction of Mr W M Waite, Principal Inspector carried out audit trails on five samples chosen at random. Based on Mr Walls report Mr Waite concluded that:
The sampling and analytical arrangements are generally satisfactory. I consider some improvement in the AQC of microbiological analyses is needed. Two of the parameters have reporting limits considerably higher than they need be. The analytical results have appeared on the Public Record in time.
Audit of plumbosolvency treatment and control programmes of work
In November 2000, Consultants WS Atkins, represented by Mr S Ntifo, working under the direction of Mr P Halton, Inspector, carried out an audit of the Company as part of the Inspectorate’s work in agreeing with water companies’ their programmes of works to secure compliance with new lead standards. Based on Mr Ntifo’s report, Mr Halton concluded that:
the Company’s process of sites/scheme selection for plumbosolvency treatment and/or optimisation measures is sound;
the integrity of the data submitted to the Inspectorate and used for assessing plumbosolvency was confirmed;
the schemes audited are justified on water quality reasons; and
the Company’s proposed steps to be taken and the proposed completion dates are generally sound.
Inspection of distribution system improvement programme progress
In September 2000, Consultants Ewan Associates, represented by Mrs A Eggington & Mr G Shuker, working under the direction of Mr P Halton, Inspector, carried out an audit of the Company’s progress with the mains renovation set out in the distribution Undertaking submitted by the Company. Based on Mrs Eggington & Mr Shuker’s report, Mr Halton concluded that:
the objectives of the undertaking remained valid;
the steps to be taken were defined with adequate precision;
a practicable timetable had been set; and
the Company was likely to meet the target renovation length by the date for completion of the work.
As a result of these inspections, 14 recommendations were conveyed to the Company for formal response. The Company is taking action or has already taken action on all of the recommendations.
Improvement programmes
No undertakings in respect of improvement programmes accepted by the Secretary of State from the Company were due for full completion or the completion of major steps during 2000.
The ongoing distribution system improvement programmes due for completion in 2005, which have been implemented by the Company, have been progressing satisfactorily.
Incidents
None of the events notified during 2000 by the Company to the Secretary of State under the terms of the Water Undertakers (Information) Direction 1998 were regarded by the Inspectorate as constituting an incident in which drinking water quality demonstrably deteriorated.
During 2000, the assessment was also completed of an incident relating to the detection of low numbers of total and faecal coliforms in a number of samples taken from various points in the distribution system in the Whitstable area in December 1999.
An incident from 1998, involving the supply of discoloured water to consumers in Small Hythe remains under consideration.
Prosecutions
In 1999 the Drinking Water Inspectorate initiated legal proceedings in the name of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in respect of an incident involving the supply of discoloured water to consumers in parts of Hadlow during June and July 1998. The discolouration arose as a result of poor supervision of a mains refurbishing scheme being carried out as part of the Company’s Section 19 distribution system undertaking. At Maidstone Crown Court on 12 March 2001 the Company pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 70 of the Water Industry Act 1991 of supplying water unfit for human consumption and was fine a total of £12,000 with £43,077 costs. Following the incident the Company has revised its procedures to prevent similar problems recurring.
Enforcement action
Table 11.4 summarises enforcement action under consideration for the Company as a result of the Inspectorate's work in, or pertaining to, the calendar year 2000.
table 11.1 Mid Kent Water plc
MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF WATER LEAVING TREATMENT WORKS2000 1999 1998 Number of water treatment works 31 32 31 Works with no sampling shortfall 31 32 31 COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 2,978 2,558 2,053 - number containing coliforms 3 4 1 - % containing coliforms 0.1 0.2 <0.1 Treatment works with coliforms detected 2 4 1 - % of all works 6 13 3 FAECAL COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 2,978 2,558 2,053 - number containing faecal coliforms 0 1 0 - % containing faecal coliforms 0.0 <0.1 0.0 Treatment works with faecal coliforms detected 0 1 0 - % of all works 0.0 3 0
table 11.2 Mid kent Water plc
MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF WATER IN SERVICE RESERVOIRS2000 1999 1998 Number of service reservoirs 68 67 68 Service reservoirs with no sampling shortfall 68 67 68 COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 3,464 3,408 3,394 - number containing coliforms 4 20 17 - % containing coliforms 0.1 0.6 0.5 Service reservoirs with coliforms detected 4 15 14 Service reservoirs with coliforms detected in more than 5% of samples 0 1 0 - % of all service reservoirs 0 1 0 FAECAL COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 3,464 3,408 3,394 - number containing faecal coliforms 1 10 3 - % containing faecal coliforms <0.1 0.3 0.1 Service reservoirs with faecal coliforms detected 1 10 3 - % of all service reservoirs 1.4 15 4
table 11.3 Mid Kent 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 2000. Column 'E' shows the number of zones for which new enforcement action is under consideration as a result of contraventions of the PCV in 2000. Please refer to the Introduction to Part 2 for more detailed explanation of this table. PARAMETER DETERMINATIONS in 2000 ZONES (21 in 2000)* Total Contravening PCV Non-compliant No. % CBU CBU E Number in: 2000 2000 1999 1998 Coliforms 1,576 12 0.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 Faecal coliforms 1,576 2 0.1 0 0 1 1 1 2 Colour 181 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Turbidity 417 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Odour 60 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Taste 60 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hydrogen ion 183 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nitrate 183 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nitrite 183 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Aluminium 95 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Iron 571 18 3.1 17 12 0 8 9 4 Manganese 355 4 1.1 2 2 0 3 1 2 Lead 41 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PAH 144 9 6.2 0 0 0 5 14 14 Trihalomethanes 27 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total pesticides 600 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Atrazine 165 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Other pesticides 6,202 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 All others 2,009 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 14,628 45 0.3 19 - - - - - *21 zones in 1999; 21 zones in 1998.
table 11.4 Mid Kent Water plc
SUMMARY OF ENFORCEMENT ACTION CONSIDERED IN 2000Regulation Reason for enforcement 3(3)(c) Contravention of the standard for faecal coliforms in one zone.
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Published 11 July 2001
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