United Utilities Water Limited – Sutton Hall Works

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

Reference: UUT-2025-00001

Version Number: 1

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:

• T004 Sutton Hall No.1 Works
• T005 Sutton Hall No.2 Works
• Y1523 Wirral Supply System

Details of this Notice:

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 9 September 2022, which states that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from Sutton Hall works (and associated assets as applicable) 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
Consumer Acceptability	Taste and odour risk due to underperformance of Powedered Activated Carbon (PAC) dosing.	T004A004244394 T005A004273034 T004A003244394 T005A003273034
Cryptosporidium	Underperformance of first stage filters.	T004C111241345 T005C111273001
E. coli Coliforms Colony counts Enterococci Clostridium perfringens	Underperformance of first stage filters.	T004C002241345 T005C002273001 T004C001241345 T005C001273001 T004C007241345 T005C007273001 T004C003241345 T005C003273001 T004C004A241345 T005C004A273001

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.

3. 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. Operation of all processes within defined normal operating ranges with appropriate triggers, responses, contingency procedures and to company standard operating procedures.
   Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
2. Critical control points in the treatment process are monitored, protected and actioned via telemetry alarms to the company’s Integrated Control Centre.
   Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
3. Works processes operated to requirements of the company Site Specific Disinfection Policy.
   Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
4. Compliance and operational data from the monitoring of Sutton Hall works and associated water supply zones is reviewed as part of drinking water safety plan process.
   Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
5. Continue to respond to all sample results that exceed regulatory standards and implement measures that protect public health, within the requirements of the regulations.
   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. Carry out a review of the mitigation and treatment for taste and odour risks, from the River Dee, at Sutton Hall works.
   Date: 31 August 2025.
2. Develop an action plan, based on the outcomes of the review in (b)1, with suitable timescales for implementation of improvement measures to the treatment stage.
   Date: 31 October 2025.
3. Implement the action plan developed in (b)2.
   Date: 31 August 2028.
4. Develop an operational management strategy for the filters at Sutton Hall works, to ensure that they are operated and managed in line with industry good practice.
   Date: 31 July 2025.
5. Carry out a gap analysis of the implementation of company Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) WP/S/001/07/01 “Filtration – Rapid Gravity, GAC and Filters Performing Oxidation and Manganese Removal,” at Sutton Hall works.
   Date: 31 July 2025.
6. Develop an action plan, based on the outcome of the gap analysis in (b)5, with a view to improving the implementation of WP/S/001/07/01 “Filtration – Rapid Gravity, GAC and Filters Performing Oxidation and Manganese Removal.”
   Date: 31 October 2025.
7. Implement the action plan formulated in measure (b)6.
   Date: 31 August 2028.

(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 August 2025.
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 Sutton Hall 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. Provide the outcome of the review, as required in measure (b)1.
   Date: 30 September 2025.
3. Provide the action plan, as developed in measure (b)2.
   Date: 30 November 2025.
4. Provide evidence of the completion of the implementation of the action plan, as required in measure (b)3.
   Date: 30 September 2028.
5. Provide the operational management strategy, as required by measure (b)4.
   Date: 31 August 2025.
6. Provide the gap analysis, as required by measure (b)5.
   Date: 31 August 2025.
7. Provide the action plan, as required by measure (b)6.
   Date: 30 November 2025.
8. Provide evidence that the action plan has been implemented, as required in measure (b)7.
   Date: 30 September 2028.
9. Submit the audit strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in measure (c)1.
   Date: 30 September 2025.
10. Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.
    Date: Within 1 month of a revision.
11. 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.
12. Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off.
    Date: 30 September 2029.

Further Details of this Notice:

4. Any product or substance used as a result of the requirements in this Notice must comply with regulation 31.
5. 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.
6. 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
10 June 2025
Reference: UUT-2025-00001