15 PORTSMOUTH WATER PLC
Introduction
Portsmouth Water supplies on average about 176.4 Ml/d of water to about 647,000 consumers in Hampshire and West Sussex, including the City of Portsmouth, Districts of Havant and Gosport and parts of the Districts of Fareham, Eastleigh, Winchester, Arun, Chichester and East Hampshire. Approximately 13% of the Company’s water supplies come from the River Itchen and is stored in a raw water reservoir prior to treatment. The remainder (approximately 87%) comes from springs, boreholes and wells. The Company has 20 treatment works on 20 sites, and distributes water through 3,200 km of pipes and 43 service reservoirs to 23 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 25,996 determinations in 2000. Of these, 99.85% demonstrated compliance with the relevant PCV, but 38 showed a contravention to have occurred.
Coliforms were not detected at 15 (75%) of the Company's 20 water treatment works. At all of the Company's 43 service reservoirs, coliforms were absent from at least 95% of samples. Of the Company's 23 water supply zones in 2000, all complied fully with the relevant water quality standards or had breaches of the standards which were either trivial or were fully covered by undertakings.
Microbiological quality of water leaving treatment works
The Company complied with the sampling frequencies required by regulation 17 at all its treatment works in 2000.
Table 15.1 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.
Contraventions of the microbiological quality standards at one works resulted in the consideration of enforcement action, as shown in table 15.4.
Microbiological quality of water in service reservoirs
The Company complied with the sampling frequencies required by regulation 18 at 39 of its 43 service reservoirs in 2000. Shortfalls at the other four are regarded as trivial and unlikely to recur because the Company has installed an upgraded computer system to manage sample scheduling.
Table 15.2 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 service reservoirs, and samples from service reservoirs, in which coliforms were detected are not considered significant.
All contraventions of the standards at service reservoirs are considered trivial or unlikely to recur, or covered by undertakings.
Water quality in water supply zones
The Company failed to comply with the required sampling frequency for one individual pesticide in eight zones and PAH in one zone.
Table 15.3 shows the Company's performance in 2000, with data for 1999 and 1998 for comparison. Differences over the last three years are not considered statistically significant.
All contraventions of the standards in zones are considered trivial or unlikely to recur.
Inspection
Investigation of computer systems and associated data management for drinking water quality information appearing on the Public Record
Messrs Chapman and Hughes of DERA; consultants working under the supervision of Mr W M Waite, Principal Inspector. On the basis of the inspection, Mr Waite concluded that:
The systems examined appear to provide adequate support to the business;
The physical security of both server and backup media requires attention;
There are a number of logical security issues to be addressed; and
A number of processes would benefit from review and issue of formal operational procedures.
Audit of plumbosolvency treatment and control programmes of work
In October 2000, Consultants WS Atkins, represented by Mr M Kimber and 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 their 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.
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 analytical arrangements are generally satisfactory, but there are a number of improvements that should be made to the handling of samples and their analysis. The majority of results are probably representative of the water supplies from which they were taken.
Review of procedures for operation and maintenance of the distribution network
In November 2000, Consultants Binnie, Black and Veatch working under the direction of Mr W M Waite, Principal Inspector carried a follow up investigation of the recommendations made during the 1999 audit of the Review of Procedures for Operation and Maintenance of the Distribution Network. Based on their report Mr Waite concluded that:
that to provide adequate responses to those responses to recommendations that are considered inadequate, the company extend its procedures to provide the following:
- Identification on consumers affected by pre-emptive flushing operations (Policy for the Pre-emptive Flushing of Mains and its Implementation – Recommendation R3.1);
- Guidance on the notification of consumers affected by pre-emptive flushing operations (Policy for the Pre-emptive Flushing of Mains and its Implementation – Recommendation R3.2); and
- A system for monitoring the use of fire hydrants by third parties and the maintenance of records (Method of Controlling the Use of Fire Hydrants by Third Parties – Recommendation R10.1)
Inspections of distribution system improvement programme progress
The Company currently has no distribution undertaking for improvements to the distribution system.As a result of these inspections, 23 recommendations were conveyed to the Company for formal response, nearly two thirds of the recommendations relate to the investigation of computer systems and associated data management. Seven suggestions on the investigation of computer systems and associated data management were made. The Company is taking action or has already taken action on all of the recommendations.
Improvement programmes
Three undertakings in respect of improvement programmes accepted by the Secretary of State from the Company were due for the completion of major steps during 2000.
Incidents
One event notified during 2000 by the Company to the Secretary of State under the terms of the Water Undertakers (Information) Direction 1999 was regarded by the Inspectorate as constituting an incident in which drinking water quality demonstrably deteriorated.
One incident involved the supply of discoloured water, in Victoria Road, Southsea in September, the incident assessment remains under consideration. During 2000 an assessment was completed of an incident which occurred in 1999. An incident assessment from 1999 remains under consideration by the Inspectorate.
No other events regarded as constituting incidents came to the attention of the Inspectorate in 2000.
Enforcement action
Table 15.4 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 15.1 Portsmouth Water plc
MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF WATER LEAVING TREATMENT WORKS2000 1999 1998 Number of water treatment works 20 20 20 Works with no sampling shortfall 20 20 20 COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 3,391 3,180 3,240 - number containing coliforms 12 16 5 - % containing coliforms 0.4 0.5 0.1 Treatment works with coliforms detected 5 7 5 - % of all works 25 35 25 FAECAL COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 3,391 3,180 3,239 - number containing faecal coliforms 1 2 0 - % containing faecal coliforms <0.1 0.1 0.0 Treatment works with faecal coliforms detected 1 2 0 - % of all works 5 10 0
table 15.2 Portsmouth Water plc
MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF WATER IN SERVICE RESERVOIRS2000 1999 1998 Number of service reservoirs 43 43 44 Service reservoirs with no sampling shortfall 39 40 43 COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 2,158 2,066 2,171 - number containing coliforms 9 5 5 - % containing coliforms 0.4 0.2 0.2 Service reservoirs with coliforms detected 8 5 5 Service reservoirs with coliforms detected in more than 5% of samples 0 0 0 - % of all service reservoirs 0 0 0 FAECAL COLIFORMS Total number of determinations 2,158 2,066 2,171 - number containing faecal coliforms 2 1 1 - % containing faecal coliforms <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 Service reservoirs with faecal coliforms detected 2 1 1 - % of all service reservoirs 4.7 2 2
table 15.3 Portsmouth 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 (23 in 2000)* Total Contravening PCV Non-compliant No. % CBU CBU E Number in: 2000 2000 1999 1998 Coliforms 1,849 10 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 Faecal coliforms 1,849 2 0.1 0 0 0 2 2 1 Colour 216 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Turbidity 402 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Odour 342 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Taste 342 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hydrogen ion 1,143 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nitrate 448 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nitrite 448 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Aluminium 158 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Iron 173 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Manganese 111 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lead 211 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 PAH 89 2 2.2 0 0 0 2 5 4 Trihalomethanes 100 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total pesticides 159 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Diuron 30 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Other pesticides 935 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 All others 5,890 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 14 <0.1 0 - - - - - - *23 zones in 1999; 23 zones in 1998.
table 15.4 Portsmouth Water plc
SUMMARY OF ENFORCEMENT ACTION CONSIDERED IN 2000Regulation reason for enforcement 3(7) Contravention of the coliform standard at one treatment works.
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Drinking Water Inspectorate,
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Published 11 July 2001
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