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Latest Information Letters to Water Companies Clipboard image
Press Release image Latest DWI Press Releases
26 June 2008 Drinking Water for England and Wales 2007  report available online
20 June 2008 Information Letter 06/2008  Audit of Regulation 35(1)
19 May 2008 Press Release - Three Valleys pleads guilty to supply water unfit for human consumption
3 April 2008 Private Water Supplies and Bottled Water briefing day - 8th July 2008 at the RIPH
20 March 2008 Job Advert for Inspectors in DWI - closing date 25th April 2008
20 March 2008 Calls for Expressions of Interest for 4 new research projects.  Closing date: 30th April 2008.
17 March 2008 Press Release - Incident Assessment letter on Mythe Water Treatment Works
25 February 2008 Information Letter 5/2008 Concessionary supplies - further guidance
21 February 2008 Information Letter 4/2008 Regulation 31
18 February 2008 Information Letter 3/2008 Guidance on the notification of events
25 January 2008 Information Letter 2/2008 The 2009 Periodic Review of Prices - Guidance on Drinking Water Quality Requirements
14 January 2008 Information Letter 1/2008 The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 as amended - Publication of an unofficial consolidated version of the Regulations
28 December 2007 Information Letter 10/2007 Updated guidance on the notification of events.
03 December 2007 Information Letter 9/2007 The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 (Amendment) Regulations 2007 - Changes to water company data tables
30 November 2007 Information Letter 8/2007 Guidance on interpretation of Regulation 16(2)(d)(i) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 (2001 in Wales)
13 November 2007 Incident Assessment Letter now available for Cryptosporidiosis outbreak in North West Wales in 2005. Please call 0207 270 3370 or e-mail dwi.enquiries@defra.gsi.gov.uk" to receive a copy
11 October 2007 Press Release Dwr Cymru Welsh Water pleads guilty to supplying water unfit for human consumption
28 September 2007 Information Letter 7/2007 Outcome of the consultation exercise on amendment to the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 - Publication of the amendment regulations and the government response to the consultation
10 September 2007 Notification of RSC half day seminar Taste and Odour in Drinking Water - Tuesday 20th November 2007
05 September 2007 Information Letter 6/2007 Outcome of the consultation exercise on amendment to the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 - Requirements for raw water monitoring
25 July 2007 FLOOD ADVICE - For consumers affected by the current floods and seeking advice about drinking water issues and other concerns, the Drinking Water Inspectorate supports the advice given by the Health Protection Agency which is available at www.hpa.org.uk/flooding/default.htm.

A regularly updated list of bowser locations for Severn Trent customers is available on the Severn Trent website.

11 July 2007 Latest drinking water quality results - Thames Region
06 July 2007 Latest drinking water quality results - Midlands Region
04 July 2007 Latest drinking water quality results - Southern Region
26 June 2007 Drinking Water 2006 for England and Wales released today
20 June 2007 South West Water pleads guilty to supplying water unfit for human consumption
1 June 2007 Guidance on the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000/2001 specific to PFOS (Perfluorooctane Sulphonate) and PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) concentrations in drinking water
22 May 2007 New Structure for the Drinking Water Inspectorate(2)
09 May 2007 New Structure for the Drinking Water Inspectorate(1)
15 February 2007 Summary report for the vertical audits for pesticide parameters
29 January 2007 Appointment of Deputy Chief Inspector (Operations)
24 January 2007 List of Approved Products and Processes - December 2006
29 December 2006 Consultation Paper on the amendment of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 and the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001
6 December 2006 Press Release United Utilities pleads guilty to charge of supplying water unfit for human consumption
4 December 2006 Information letter 11/2006 Technical audit of water companies under section 86 of the Water Industry Act 1991: Summary report for the vertical audits for non-microbiological parameters, 2005
28 November 2006 Press Release:  NPHS for Wales publishes report on the cryptosporidiosis outbreak which occurred in North Wales in Autumn 2005
23 November 2006 Press Release Thames Water pleads guilty to charge of supplying water unfit for human consumption.
14 September 2006 Information Letter 10/2006   Cryptosporidiosis in England and Wales
11 September 2006 Information Letter 09/2006   Update on the in-situ resin lining of water mains under Regulation 31 (10) (b) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 (2001 Wales)
17 August 2006 Call for papers for the forthcoming conference - Water Contamination Emergencies: Collective Responsibility
28 June 2006 Press Release - Inspectorate delivers joined-up action on drinking water quality
16 June 2006 Press Release - Independent test show tap water not affected by Buncefield fire
22 May 2006 Press Release - Yorkshire Water pleads guilty to charge of supplying water unfit for human consumption
17 March 2006 Information Letter 08/2006 Contact arrangements for the notification of events under the Water Undertakers (Information) Direction 2004 and notification of crytosporidium anomalies
17 March 2006 Information Letter 07/2006 Further update on the restructuring of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, including structure diagram
22February 2006 Information Letter 06/2006 DWI Drinking Water Quality Improvement Programmes - Process for agreeing changes to improvement programmes associated with legal instruments
17 February 2006 Information Letter 05/2006 Control of Water Treatment Chemicals
10 February 2006 Information Letter 04/2006 Regulation 31 of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 and 2001: Annual List of Approved Products and Processes - December 2005
09 February 2006 Information Letter 03/2006 Issues relating to 2006 monthly data submissions to the Drinking Water Inspectorate, and information required for inclusion in the Chief Inspector's Report.
07 February 2006 List of Approved Products and Processes - December 2005
18 January 2006 Information Letter 02/2006 Concessionary Supplies: Reporting of compliance results and the calculation of Operational Performance Indices
06 January 2006 Cryptosporidium Advice Letter Cryptosporidiosis
06 January 2006 Information Letter 01/2006 Annual Provision of Information on Consumer Contacts
05 January 2006 Cryptosporidium Advice Letter Cryptosporidiosis in North Wales
16 December 2005 Information Letter 17/2005 Cryptosporidiosis in England and Wales
4 November 2005 Summary report of the responses and learning from the DWI Local Authority consultation January 2005
21 October 2005

Review of evidence for relationship between incidence of cardiovascular disease and water hardness

The Inspectorate has released a report which reviews the available evidence on any link between water hardness and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. The review  was conducted by a team lead by Professor Paul Hunter at the University of East Anglia.

The main findings of the review was that it found evidence from a number of studies  to support the longstanding apparent inverse relationship between water hardness and cardiovascular disease. At present there is insufficient evidence to confirm whether the apparent effect is causal or to elucidate its nature. The report does not comment on potential policy implications but provides a useful evidence base.

The Inspectorate sees the report as an important building block for informing the scientific debate on the issue of water hardness. The report will be presented at a forthcoming WHO workshop on the issue.

13 October 2005 Information Letter 16/2005 Cryptosporidium web site and the latest revision of Part 1 of the Standard Operating Protocol (SOP)
10 October 2005 Information Letter 15/2005 Distribution Operation and Maintenance Strategies (DOMS) - update to DWI requirements and expectations
10 October 2005 A Brief Guide to Drinking Water Safety Plans (PDF 256KB)
03 October 2005 Newly formed Consumer Council for Water
20 September 2005 Information Letter 14/2005 List of Water Treatment Works in England and Wales
7 September 2005 Information Letter 13/2005 Further updated on the restructuring of the Drinking Water Inspectorate
22 August 2005 Information Letter 12/2005 Guidance on sample and sample extract stability trials and the preservation and preparation of samples for metals analysis.
26 July 2005 Information Letter 11/2005 Guidance to inset appointees on their regulatory responsibilities
15 July 2005 A case control study investigating drinking water & dairy products in the aetiology of Crohn's Disease - A possible role for Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis -The CMAW Study  - Final Report (Adobe  7.8MB)

plus DWI's Q&A report conclusions
13 July 2005 Information Letter 10/2005 Update on the restructuring of the Drinking Water Inspectorate
30 June 2005 Information Letter 09/2005 Regulation 31 of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 and 2001: Approval and use of packing materials in water treatment processes
21 June 2005 Information Letter 08/2005 Technical audit of water companies under Section 86 of the Water Industry Act 1991: Summary report for the vertical audits for non microbiological parameters, 2004.
18 May 2005 Guidance to the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations for England (2000) and Wales (2001) (pdf 1.9MB)
16 May 2005 Information Letter 07/2005 Contact Arrangements for the Notification of Events under the Water Undertakers (Information) Direction 2004 and notification of cryptosporidium anomalies.
13 May 2005 Information Letter 06/2005 Update on the restructuring of the Drinking Water Inspectorate
10 May 2005 Job Opportunities within DWI (pdf 149KB)
28 April 2005 Memorandum of understanding between the UK Drinking Water regulators.
11 April 2005 Information letter 05/2005 Code of Practice on technical aspects of Fluoridation in water supplies 2005.
08 April 2005 Information letter 04/2005 New Structure of the Drinking Water Inspectorate.
29 March 2005 Regulation 31 letter -Regulation 31 letter 03/2005 Notice of intention to modify conditions of approval for in-situ coatings
24 January 2005 Information letter 03/2005 Guidance on calibration and analytical quality control of residual chlorine measurements.
21 January 2005 Information letter 02/2005 Issues relating to the submission of sample data to the DWI
18 January 2005 Competition - DWI's response to consultation on Access Code Guidance
11 January 2005 Information Letter 01/2005 Requirements for Monitoring Radioactivity in Water Supplies

15 December 2004

Newly revised draft programme for the Conference on Water Contamination Emergencies: Enhancing our Response

25 November 2004

Information letter 14/2004 Cryptosporidium in water supplies: Anomaly reporting for the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 (England) and Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001 (Wales).

23 November 2004

Information letter 13/2004 Common Carriage: Guidance on the drinking water quality aspects.

12 November 2004

Information letter 12/2004 Guidance on the implementation of paragraph 7(1) of the Water Undertakers (Information) Direction 2004.

4 November 2004

Information letter 11/2004 Information requirements following notification of an exceedence of a regulatory standard

25 October 2004

Information letter 10/2004 Monitoring drinking water at establishments where water is supplied to the public

21 September 2004

3rd Edition of WHO Guideline Values for Drinking Water Quality

The World Health Organisation has published the third edition of its the Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality. The WHO Guidelines form the basis for regulation of drinking water quality all over the world. The third edition is particularly important because it describes the "Water Safety Framework" approach which stresses the complementary roles of the water industry, regulators and environmental protection agencies in the protection of drinking water quality.

For further information visit: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/en/flyerguidelines3.pdf

15 September 2004

Draft Programme for the Conference on Water Contamination Emergencies: Enhancing our Response

9 August 2004

Observer claim that there are traces of Prozac in Drinking Water is incorrect

2 August 2004

Call for Papers for the Conference on Water Contamination Emergencies: Enhancing our Response

7 July 2004

Press Release on the Drinking Water 2003 report - Further improvements in tap water quality - Where do we go from here?

7 July 2004

Water Quality in your area