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Notice of Regulation: United Utilities – All Water Treatment Works – Cryptosporidium

Completion Date: 31/12/2022
Ref: UUT3574

NOTICE UNDER REGULATION 28(4) OF THE WATER SUPPLY (WATER QUALITY) REGULATIONS 2016 (AS AMENDED)

United Utilities Water Limited: All water treatment works – Cryptosporidium

Reference: UUT3574

Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): United Utilities Water Limited, with registered number 02366678 (hereinafter called ‘the Company’).

Assets affected:
All treatment works – see annex A for current status

  1. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (‘the Inspectorate’) has received a regulation 28(1) report of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended) (‘the Regulations’) from the Company dated 01 October 2015, which states that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from all treatment works that could constitute a potential danger to human health.
  2. Consequently, this Notice is served on the Company by the Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State, under regulation 28(4) for the assets listed above, for risks associated with:

Hazard/Hazardous Event/Parameter

Hazard ID

Description of Risks

Poaka Beck – Cryptosporidium

2015/00322260

Excessive solids in supernatant return

Worsthorne – Cryptosporidium

2015/00712668

Excessive solids in supernatant return

Ridgaling – Cryptosporidium

2015/00326267

Excessive solids in supernatant return

Mitchells – Cryptosporidium

2015/00322853

Excessive solids in supernatant return

  1. The Company are required to satisfy the following:

Requirements

(a) to maintain the following measures for the period specified in each case:

  1. Optimisation of treatment processes.
    Date: Ongoing
  2. Where available and practicable, backwash water to be discharged to sewer.
    Date: Ongoing
  3. Where available and practicable, supernatant return flow inhibited if high turbidity is detected.
    Date: Ongoing
  4. Where available and practicable, failsafe automatic shutdown of affected process streams, units or works.
    Date: Ongoing
  5. Ensure awareness of the risk through licenced operator training
    Date: Ongoing
  6. Use of site specific procedures where appropriate, including manual intervention or automatic control
    Date: Ongoing
  7. Instrument maintenance, calibration and verification to ensure the risk from backwash water is controlled
    Date: Ongoing

(b) to review, revise or make operational the following measures, by the dates specified in each case:

  1. Review handling of backwash water against the recommendations of the Badenoch and Bouchier reports, to include backwater flow, including contribution of backwater flow as a proportion of the total works input, and turbidity trends
    Date: Complete
  2. Where any non-conformance with the recommendations of the Badenoch and Bouchier reports is identified, develop a plan for additional monitoring and implement any operational interventions identified in step (b)1
    Date: Complete
  3. Following the review in step (b)1, deliver targeted training to reinforce the requirements of wash water treatment to comply with the recommendations in the Badenoch and Bouchier reports
    Date: Complete
  4. Where capital interventions are required, initiate an investigation to determine appropriate solution and confirm forward programme of work
    Date: within 12 months of completion of the individual site reviews
  5. Where required, deliver the programme(s) of work identified in (b)4 above for the treatment works identified within Annex A table 2
    Date: 30 November 2021

(c) to audit whether the measures have been effective by the following means:

  1. Define an audit strategy to monitor the effectiveness of the measures specified in section (a) and (b).
    Date: Complete
  2. Implement, and keep under continuous review, the audit strategy defined in measure (c)1.
    Date: Until revocation of the Notice

(d) not to supply water for regulation 4(1) purposes from all treatment works, or not to so supply unless the specified conditions below are satisfied:

Not applicable

(e) to provide the following information in the time and manner specified below to enable monitoring of progress towards the mitigation of the risks:

  1. Provide a progress report annually by 31 January and against the following milestones:
    Date: Annually by 31 January
    • Audit strategy to be submitted
      Date: Complete
    • On completion of the review in step (b)1.
      Date: Complete
    • On development of the strategy for additional monitoring and operation interventions
      Date: Complete
    • Any reports produced for step (b)4
      Date: within 2 months of completion of the individual reports
    • Confirm completion of capital interventions in step (b)5
      Date: within 2 months of completion of the individual schemes
  2. Submit completion reports for the treatment works listed in Annex A table 1
    Date: 31 January 2022
  3. Submit the strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in (c)1.
    Date: Complete
  4. Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.
    Date: Within 1 month of a revision
  5. Submit a report in the event that any completed measure of this Notice needs to be altered in any way for any reason.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  6. Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off for the sites listed in Annex A table 2
    Date: 31 December 2022
  1. Any product or substance used as a result of the requirements in this Notice must comply with regulation 31.
  2. Under regulation 28(6) the Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, may by notice served on the Company, revoke or vary this Notice.
  3. Failure by the Company to comply with this Notice may result in enforcement proceedings under section 18 of the Water Industry Act 1991(as amended).

Signed
Laura Moss
Deputy Chief Inspector, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
15 April 2021
Reference: UUT3574
Version 3

Annex A

TABLE 1 Delayed work but now in demonstration of benefit

Asset name

Asset Ref.

Castle Carrock WTW

T082

Lostock New WTW

T195

Oswestry WTW (at Hindford)

T198

Rivington WTW – Final Water To Prospect And Boars Head SRs

T183

Lamaload WTW

T038

TABLE 2 Delayed work

Asset name

Asset Ref.

Mitchells WTW

T072

Ridgaling WTW

T199

Worsthorne WTW

T204

Poaka Beck WTW

T058