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Portsmouth Water Limited – Farlington Contact Tank

Notice under regulation 28(4) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended)

Reference: PRT-2026-00001

Version Number: 1

Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): Portsmouth Water Limited, with registered number 02536455 (hereinafter called ‘the Company’).

Assets Affected:

  • TFARL – Farlington Water Treatment Works (West contact tank)

Details of this Notice:

  1. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (‘the Inspectorate’) has received a set of regulation 28(1) reports of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended) (‘the Regulations’) from the Company dated between 30 September 2024 and 7 October 2025, which state that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from Farlington Water Treatment Works that could constitute a potential danger to human health or could be unwholesome.
  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:

Description of Risk

Hazard/ Hazardous Event/ Parameter

Hazard I D

Multiple hazard lines e.g.:

Risk of contamination from surface water ingress


E. coli

PRT/POS/TFARL/T-IPA-1.1.23

Risk of contamination from surface water ingress

Total coliforms

PRT/POS/TFARL/T-IPA-1.1.18

Risk of contamination from surface water ingress

Enterococci

PRT/POS/TFARL/T-IPA-1.1.24

Risk of contamination from surface water ingress

Colony counts

PRT/POS/TFARL/T-IPA-1.2.4

Table 1: Table of the hazards, hazardous events, and/or parameters covered by this Notice, including the Hazard I D numbers and the description of risks.
  1. The Company are required to satisfy the following requirements.

The date given is that until or by which the requirements must be maintained or satisfied, as appropriate.

Requirements:

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

  1. Operate all tanks in accordance with current company policy, standards and procedures, that align to recognised standards of good practice.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  2. Maintain proactive external site inspections, grounds maintenance, site security and asset maintenance. This must include periodic inspections of hatches, seals, redundant assets, sample taps, overflows, washouts, and air valves.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice

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

  1. Complete any enabling works required to isolate the West contact tank.
    Date: 31 Dec 2026
  2. Complete an internal inspection of the West contact tank.
    Date: 31 January 2027
  3. Complete any remedial works required, before returning the tank to supply.
    Date: 31 March 2027

(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 sections (a) and (b).
    Date: 31 July 2026
  2. Implement, and keep under continuous review, the audit strategy defined in measure (c)1.
    Date: Following completion of measure (c)1. onwards.

(d) Not to supply water for regulation 4(1) purposes from Farlington Water Treatment Works, or not to so supply unless the specified conditions below are satisfied:

  1. 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.
    Date: by 31 January each year.
  2. Confirm the isolation, inspection and remediation of the West contact tank.
    Date: 30 April 2027
  3. Submit the audit strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in measure (c)1.
    Date: 30 August 2026
  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 measures of this Notice need 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.
    Date: 31 July 2027

Further Details of this Notice:

  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

Nicholas Adjei
Deputy Chief Inspector, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
11 June 2026
Reference: PRT-2026-00001

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