Information Letter

DWI Information Letter 03/2006

9 February 2006

To: Board Level and Day to Day Contacts of Water and Sewerage Companies and Water Companies in England and Wales

Dear Sir/Madam

Issues relating to 2006 monthly data submissions to the Drinking Water Inspectorate, and information required for inclusion in the Chief Inspector’s Report.

Purpose

1. The purpose of this Information letter is to inform water companies of amendments to data requirements originally specified by Information Letter 6/2003 (Revised) and amended by Information Letter 2/2005. This letter is in four parts. Part 1 deals with geographical information requirements. Part 2 deals with amendments to the ‘Details’ and ‘Data’ tables submitted as part of the monthly compliance data programme. Part 3 deals with the submission of Nitrate/Nitrite formula data. Part 4 deals with specific requirements for company information for inclusion in the Chief Inspector’s Annual Report 2005 (to be published during 2006).

Part 1 - Changes to Annex A of Information Letter 6/2003 – Geographical Information Specification

2. Companies are reminded that any changes to their zone designations require revised digital boundaries. Annex A of Information letter 6/2003 requires companies to submit to the Inspectorate in digital format:

a) their company appointed area (as a single closed polygon); and

b) their current water supply zone boundaries within that appointed area, (these should capture any area of supply but exclude areas of non supply, see guidance below).

This information is required by the 1^st January for the year it relates.

3. For 2006 the Inspectorate requires companies to provide an additional digital overlay showing any significant areas of non-supply (if any). These boundaries should account for any part of the company appointed area not covered by a designated water supply zone (Companies may wish to amend existing digital water supply zone boundaries to ensure no overlap with non-supply areas - this will be a requirement for 2007 submissions and thereafter). An attribute table should identify non-supply areas by name and add national grid reference centroid of polygons. If the Company is aware that the non-supply area is actually a private water supply area, this should be named as such in the table, (e.g. Rushmoor Estate private water supply).

4. Where companies have grouped concessionary supplies (see DWI Information Letter 2/2006), the attribute table accompanying digital zone boundaries should treat concessionary supplies in the same way as zones comprising of multiple unconnected sites. i.e. supply separate lines, which differ in respect of centroids. For these cases the Site Reference will be the same for each record, whilst Site Name should be qualified with the concessionary supplies’ ‘local’ name in brackets. Population and area information then should refer to the specific record. See example below.

5. DWI has upgraded its ESRI Arcview GIS software, to version 8.3. As previously ESRI Shape (.shp) files are preferred for submission. If not available, boundaries in ’dxf’ (drawing exchange format), ’dwg’ files from AutoCad and MapInfo ’.mif’ are also suitable. Point data can be converted to Shapefiles from Microsoft Excel (comma separated variable) files. See IL 6/2003 for full specification and format for both boundary and attribute files.

6. Companies should provide the new and any revised GIS overlays to the Inspectorate by 21 June 2006.

Part 2 - Changes to Annex B of Information Letter 6/2003 – File specification

7. Following evaluation of companies’ compliance submissions under the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 in England and 2001 in Wales (the new Regulations), several changes to the data requirements for 2006 are necessary.  The web version of IL 6/2003 will be updated to reflect these changes, thus remaining the definitive Information Letter for the Inspectorate’s compliance data requirements.

8. These amendments will apply to sample data collected from 1 January 2006, i.e. submissions reported to the Inspectorate from 21 March 2006 onwards.

9. The changes are as follows, with the amendments to the original Information Letter shown in red:

Details Table

10. As specified in IL 6/2003, the Details Table must contain records for every supply zone, authorised supply point, service reservoir/water tower and water treatment work for which data will be or may be submitted at any time during the reporting year. The Inspectorate’s Data Unit has been concerned at the number of company re-submissions of ‘Details tables’.

11. The accuracy of the content of this is table paramount. ‘Details Tables’ are used for the listing and summing of sites in data summary tables, which are published in the ‘Chief Inspectors Annual Report’.

Concessionary supplies

12. Guidance is now available (see DWI Information Letter 2/2006). A concessionary supply is a supply to any person for human consumption, for which there is no charge . This is a public supply and therefore data reporting is required.

13. To make the Inspectorate aware that a water supply zone comprises concessionary supplies, companies must add an additional field (after ‘HypoFlag’) to the ‘Details Table’ as shown below.

14. If the concessionary supply zone consists of a number of geographically unconnected sites the national grid reference (NGR) centroid in the ‘Grid reference’ fields should be for a main site only (do not supply duplicate records for other ’islands’. Locations of individual tests must be identified by National Grid Reference record fields in the Data table).

Note: there is separate guidance for attribute tables accompanying GIS boundaries, see Part 1, paragraph 4).

15. All data appearing in ‘Data Tables’ for concessionary supplies must be referenced to its site reference as in the ‘Details’ table.

Zones receiving Fluoride or Phosphate dosing

16. In order to assist the Inspectorate in its preparation of the ‘Chief Inspector’s Report’ a record of those sites subject to Fluoride and Phosphate dosing is required. Companies must add two fields to the ‘Details table’ as follows:

17. Companies should add the additional fields ‘Consupply’, ‘FluorDose’ and ‘PhosDose’ after the ‘HypoFlag’ field to their 2006 ’Details Table’ submission.

SiteDetails Tables

18. The Inspectorate’s data systems make use of companies’ ‘Site Details’ Tables. Companies must ensure that this table is accurately compiled as described in Information Letter 6/2003, Annex B – File specification. This table provides the Inspectorate with the link from supply sites to zones.

Data Table – amendments and additional field

‘GridReference’ fields

19. To assist the Inspectorate in the preparation of regional reports in the ‘Chief Inspectors Report’ companies with assets in both England and Wales must provide the location of zonal tests in border critical zones using the ‘National Grid Reference’ (Eastings and Northings) fields of the data table. This will allow the Inspectorate to accurately apportion tests to the correct regional report in the CIR.

SOIflag

20. This flag (SOI) should also be applied to all tests covered by any Plumbosolvency schemes. See example below.

RPoWFlag field

21. This flag (RP) should also be applied to all tests covered by a Turbidity and/or Cryptosporidium Notice. See example below.

Tests breaching the standard

22. Companies are reminded of the requirements of Information Letter 11/2004, which requests additional information referenced to a filename in the ’Comments’ field, of the data table.

23. In 2005 there were instances of the filename (required in square brackets[]) not matching the actual ‘supplementary file’ submitted. There have been instances of incorrect or missing file extensions (e.g. .doc), incidental characters in file names (“,/, ‘ etc.) all resulting in processing problems for the Inspectorate.

24. The filename should consist of the Companies designated 3 letter Company Code followed by the DWI Parameter code and the date of sample (dd-mm-yy). For example, in the case of Anglian Water:

Filename: [ANG-C001-03-02-04.doc]

If multiple documents referring to a breach are submitted these should be suffixed alphabetically, i.e.

Filename: [ANG-C001-03-02-04A.doc]

If more than one breach of a certain parameter occurs on a given day a numerical value should be assigned to the company code, i.e.

Filename: [ANG2-C001-03-02-04.doc]

25. Further to the above, the Inspectorate requires additional information for tests breaching the standard at sites where one of the following improvement programmes exists: Undertaking, Statement of Intent (including Plumbosolvency Scheme), Authorised Departure and Regulatory Programme of Work (including Turbidity or Cryptosporidium Notices).

26. For a breach of the standard when one of the aforementioned improvement programme ’flags’ occurs, the reference to the DWI authorisation for that improvement programme must be added to the ‘Comments’ field of the record, as in example below.

Data table ‘Comments’ field

Data table ‘CoSampleRef’ field

27. The Inspectorate has received feedback that the company’s own sample reference would be helpful for communications on specific tests. This information is submitted as part of a breach report, but not necessarily for all tests. To facilitate this, an extra field ‘CoSampleRef’ must be added to the ‘Data Table’, following the ‘Comments’ field. Specification for this is as follows.

Part 3 - Guidance on monitoring issues

28. Checking of compliance data summary tables for 2005 revealed that a few Companies did not submit any compliance data in respect of parameter code A013C (Nitrate/Nitrite formula).

29. Whilst most companies include data for this parameter as part of the monthly compliance return, a small number of companies do not. The Inspectorate has requested submission of missing 2005 data for the Nitrate/Nitrite formula (A013C) from these companies.

30. As an interim arrangement only the Inspectorate has been calculating this parameter for summary tables, so as to assess and report on compliance with the Directive standard (=1) as required by Regulation 4(2)(d).

31. If not already doing so, companies must make the necessary arrangements to calculate and include the data for Nitrate/Nitrite formula (A013C) as part of the routine monthly compliance data returns from 2006 (January data required by 21^st March 2006).

Part 4 - Information requirements for inclusion in the Chief Inspector’s Annual Report for 2005

32. Following the positive feedback from stakeholders regarding ‘Drinking Water 2004’, the Inspectorate has initiated work on its ‘Chief Inspector’s Annual Report’ for 2005 (the ‘CIR’).

33. The Inspectorate will prepare summary tables from companies monthly returns. These summary tables will be circulated once December’s submissions have been received and all company data loaded. Companies will be given three working days to check their summary tables and confirm their agreement of 2005 figures with Inspectors.

34. To assist the Inspectorate with the preparation of Regional Sections of the CIR, companies are requested to provide the following ‘Key facts’ concerning their water supply for 2005:

·         Population supplied (to the nearest ‘000)

·         Amount of water supplied in litres/day (to the nearest ‘000 litres)

·         Number of Treatment Works (WTW), as in ‘Details Table’ (excluding sites for which no data supplied)

·         Number of Service Reservoirs (SR) as in ‘Details Table’ (excluding sites for which no data supplied)

·         Number of Water Supply Zones (WSZ) as in ‘Details Table’

·         Total asset numbers - Treatment Works (WTW) as above, but including sites out of service for reporting year i.e. no data supplied.

·         Total asset numbers - Service Reservoirs (SR) as above, but including sites out of service for reporting year i.e. no data supplied.

·         Estimate in Km of mains pipe (Distribution)

• Water Composition:
  % surface sources
  % ground water sources
  % mixed sources

35. A template for this information is included at Annex A (MS Word format) and should be submitted to the Inspectorate (as an electronic attachment in Microsoft Word or Excel format) at the same time as the monthly compliance data for December, i.e. no later than 21 February 2006.

36. Companies whose assets and supply areas cross the boundary between England and Wales should submit two Annex A ‘Key facts’ returns, one for those assets in England, and one for those assets in Wales. For length of mains pipe companies should submit a best estimate for the length. This information will assist the Inspectorate in producing the Regional format of the CIR.

37. Following on from the above, the Companies with zones and assets in both England and Wales met with DWI in November 2005 to agree a way forward for provision of data for these sites.

a). These Companies agreed to complete the table of information regarding their own company assets, supplied by the Inspectorate on 4 November. Companies are reminded that this information is to be provided by 21 February 2006.  As discussed at the meeting, if any assets have been omitted from the tables, these should be added by the Company.   

b). Following on from the above, the Companies with zones that cross the England/Wales national boundary will be contacted shortly with guidance on the Inspectorate’s requirements for submission of 2005 data for these zones.

c). For 2006 data submissions relevant companies should ensure the ‘National Grid Reference’ fields of their Data tables are populated for all tests in border critical zones. (See Data table ‘GridReference Fields’, paragraph 19.)

Consumer Contacts

38. The Inspectorate will be making an assessment of consumer contacts as received by companies. Companies are reminded that this requirement is covered by DWI Information Letter 1/2006. The information should be provided to the Inspectorate by 21^st March 2006. A proforma table for completion is included at Annex A of that Information Letter.

Enquiries

39. Enquiries about this letter should be directed to Andrew Taylor, Water Quality Data Manager, Drinking Water Inspectorate, Room GO3, 55 Whitehall, London SW1  (Telephone 020 7082 8019, Fax  020 7082 8024) or andy.taylor@defra.gsi.gov.uk. This Information Letter is available on the Inspectorate’s website www.dwi.gov.uk

40. Copies of this letter are being sent to Pamela Taylor, Chief Executive, Water UK; Richard Wood, Water Supply and Regulation Division, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; June Milligan, Environment Division, Welsh Assembly Government; Colin McLaren, Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland; Randal Scott, Drinking Water Inspectorate for Northern Ireland; Tony Smith and Chairs of the Regional Consumer Council for Water; Rowena Tye for Office of Water Services; Tony Warn, Environment Agency; Nigel Harrison, Food Standards Agency; and Gary Coleman at the Health Protection Agency.