Archive:
(for archive/historical purposes, this document has not been updated)Index of Contents:
- Introduction
- Bacteria
- Pesticides
- Lead
- Iron and Manganese
- Cryptosporidium
- Drinking Water Quality Incidents
- Determinations in 1998
1. Introduction
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) checks that water companies supply water that is safe to drink when it reaches your home. This leaflet summarises the results of our checks on Cambridge Water during 1998 and should be read in conjunction with DWI's "How Good is the Drinking Water?" leaflet which is available from us free of charge.
Cambridge Water continues to supply you with drinking water of a high quality. The number of results not meeting the standards has fallen consistently since 1991 and during 1998, 99.84% of more than 12,500 tests met the standards. This is above the overall figure for England and Wales of 99.78%.
None of the failures in 1998 were likely to harm consumers' health. We assessed each one and, where necessary, we have required Cambridge Water to take action to prevent further failures.
Although the 1998 results are good, we know that there are some matters of everyday concern to consumers. These are detailed below including the steps taken by Cambridge Water to improve its performance.
2. Bacteria
Whenever bacteria are found in water samples Cambridge Water investigates immediately.
No bacteria have been detected in the water leaving the treatment works or at the consumers taps during 1998. Although low numbers of bacteria were found in single samples from five service reservoirs, all service reservoirs met the standards in 1998. The bacteria found were not harmful to consumers' health.
3. Pesticides
Cambridge Water carried out more than 800 tests for individual pesticides during 1998 and apart from 5 results all met the stringent standard. The 5 failures were due to a substance, TCA, which can be used as a herbicide but Cambridge Water has shown that it was present as a by-product of disinfection and not as a herbicide. TCA has a very low level of toxicity and at the levels found in the water supply it is not harmful to either people or pets.
4. Lead
Cambridge Water did not have any samples fail for lead during 1998. However, the Drinking Water Inspectorate advises consumers living in properties with lead pipes to seek advice from their water company. A DWI leaflet about lead in drinking water is also available from us free of charge.
5. Iron and Manganese and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
These three parameters provide a good indication of the overall condition of the mains used to distribute drinking water through the region.
There were no failures for iron and manganese during 1998. The number of samples failing to meet the standard for PAH increased by one to three for 1998. There is an overall programme of work being carried out by Cambridge Water to renovate its distribution system.
6. Cryptosporidium
Cryptosporidium is a tiny micro-organism which can sometimes cause a form of diarrhoea called cryptosporidiosis. No instances were reported to the Inspectorate of the detection of Cryptosporidium in water leaving Cambridge Water's water treatment works during 1998.
Water companies will shortly be required to sample continuously and analyse daily for Cryptosporidium in the treated water at their most vulnerable sites. It will be an offence if they fail to meet a new treatment standard.
7. Drinking Water Quality Incidents
No events were reported by the Company to the Inspectorate in 1998.
8. Determinations in 1998
Parameter
Total
Contravening PCV No % Coliforms 874 5 0.6 Faecal coliforms 874 0 0.0 Colour 90 0 0.0 Turbidity 90 0 0.0 Odour 128 0 0.0 Taste 128 0 0.0 Hydrogen ion 92 0 0.0 Nitrate 164 0 0.0 Nitrite 166 0 0.0 Aluminium 104 0 0.0 Iron 179 6 0.0 Manganese 116 0 0.0 Lead 64 0 0.0 PAH 116 3 2.6 Trihalomethanes 38 0 0.0 Total pesticides 66 1 1.5 TCA 27 5 18.5 Other pesticides 799 0 0.0 Potassium 51 1 2.0 All others 1298 0 0.0 Total
5464
15
0.3
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Drinking Water Inspectorate,
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Telephone : 020 7944 5956 - Facsimile : 020 7944 5969
E-mail: dwi_enquiries@detr.gov.uk
Updated 11 July 2001
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