Advances in Water Treatment and Enviromental Management

WATER SUPPLY QUALITY IN PRIVATISED UK WATER SERVICES 39could not be included but might be passed on to customers via regulated charges at a laterdate. The £10 billion programme does not include the cost of remedial measures for much ofthe PAH, pesticide or lead problems.10 CONCLUSIONSTable V: Summary of water supply investment 1990—2000.(November 1989 prices).The quality and monitoring of water supplies in England and Wales is now specified by waterquality regulations, which incorporate the standards of the EC Drinking Water directive andsome additional standards, and specify the frequency of sampling and analysis. Supplies arerequired to meet the majority of these standards for every sample examined. Compared withan earlier interpretation of the Directive, the stricter standards have resulted in some suppliesfailing to comply. The Water Services companies established by the privatisation of the tenregional water authorities have been granted relaxations of some parameters for definedareas and for others the Secretary of State has accepted undertakings from them to carry outimprovements to an agreed timetable. The most widespread non-compliance is for iron andrelated parameters from distribution systems and aluminium, iron and pesticide at treatmentworks. Investigation of potential non-compliance with the more stringent lead standard isrequired due to lead from domestic plumbing materials. Programmes of improvement shouldbe completed for most water treatment problems by 1995 but the scale of the programme ofwater mains rehabilitation will require at least ten years for its completion. The estimatedcost for problems with known solutions is £10billion for England and Wales.11 REFERENCESDoE 1982: Department of the Environment/Welsh Office. Circular 20/82: EC Directive relating to theQuality of Water intended for Human Consumption (80/778/EEC). Her Majesty’s Stationery Office,London.DoE 1989: Guidance on Safeguarding the Quality of Public Water Supplies. Her Majesty’s StationeryOffice, London.EC 1975: Council Directive 75/440/EEC. Quality required of surface water intended for the abstractionof drinking water. Official Journal No. L194, 25.7.1975, p34.EC 1980: Council Directive 80/778/EEC. Relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption.Official Journal No.HMSO 1989a: Water Act 1989. Chapter 15. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.HMSO 1989b: The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989, Statutory Instrument 1989 No.1147.Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.HMSO 1989c: The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Amendment) Regulations 1989 Statutory InstrumentNo. 1384. Her Majesty’s stationery Office, London.Miller 1990: Paper from Bureau 1 meeting, Paris, January 1990. Adaptation of Drinking Water Directive.Comments on Individual Parameters. D.G.Miller, Water Reserch Centre.Schroder 1989: The Water Share Offer, Pathfinder Prospectus. J. Henry Schroder Wagg & Co. London.W.H.O. 1984: Guidelines for Drinking—water Quality, Vol.1 Recommendations. World HealthOrganisation, Geneva.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThe author acknowledges the contribution made to this paper by many unnamed employeesof the former water authorities and their advisers in drafting the Prospectus for the WaterShare offer. The presentation of this paper has been approved by Gareth Jones, Director ofScience and Quality, Wessex Water Business Services Ltd., but the views expressed are theauthor’s and do not necessarily represent those of the Company.