Inaction ‘not an option’

Rural Water News Spring 2008
Comment
There is no mistaking the significance of our lead story for the
small number of group water schemes that seem oblivious to
the need for compliance with national and EU drinking water
quality legislation. Put simply, the days of doing nothing and
expecting to get away with it are coming to an end and the
committees of those schemes that adopt such a stance will find
that they are living in a fool’s paradise.
True, there may be some groups out there that were genuinely
unaware of the legal requirement to address their non-compliance
with the regulatory standards, although God knows how
they have missed all of the public comment of recent years.
There will be other schemes that will approach their local or
national politicians hoping that their influence will secure an
exemption from the application of the law, but this won’t work
either, nor should it.
As Kevin Reilly pointed out in his report to the National Rural
Water Monitoring Committee, water suppliers have ‘a duty of
care’ to see that the water they provide ‘is wholesome and
clean and meets the requirements of the Regulations’. We
might add that this duty of care implies both a moral and legal
obligation on group water scheme committees.
It seems remarkable that there are schemes out there that
haven’t got that message yet, and that it may take a letter of
direction from their local authority to drive home the point.
And while Kevin Reilly emphasised that local authorities are
there to work with these schemes in providing assistance,
NFGWS staff are similarly willing to do all in their power to
provide whatever support is called for. But it is up to these
schemes to accept such support.
Our advice is that they waste no time in doing so.
***
On a happier note, the strong interest in completing training
in the NFGWS Quality Assurance scheme has continued
across all regions. National QA Officer, Jean Gibson’s recent
report on progress to the National Rural Water Monitoring
Committee provides real grounds for optimism.
The observations of the EPA in the latest Drinking Water
Quality Report [see page 15] provide a strong endorement of
a QA strategy that puts consistent monitoring from source to
tap at the very heart of managing a potable water supply.
Speaking at the launch of the Rural Water Programme,
NFGWS Chairperson, Brendan O’Mahony said that implementation
of the QA system across all completed DBO
schemes and the more organised non-DBO schemes would be
a Federation priority in 2008.
It is an achievable objective that warrants an enthusiastic
take-up by group water schemes everywhere.
Disclaimer
While every care has been taken to ensure that the information
contained in this publication is up to date and correct, no
responsibility will be taken by the National Federation of
Group Water Schemes for any error which might occur.
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3
Continued from page 1
In the course of a summary
report to the NRWMC on
progress during 2007, the
National Project Manager said
that ‘70% of schemes identified
in the Action Plan for
Rural Water Quality are now
classified as complete in terms
of having adequate water
treatment in place’.
Advanced planning
Adding that work on the
majority of the remaining
schemes is underway, or at an
‘advanced planning’ stage, he
pinpointed 14 schemes across
7 counties as not having
agreed action programmes in
place to resolve their water
quality issues. The report
continues:
‘It is no longer acceptable
that consumers should have
to endure ongoing restrictions
on the use of water for
human consumption without
an end in sight.
‘There is a duty of care on all
water suppliers, public and
private, under the Drinking
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Water Regulations to ensure
that water is wholesome and
clean and meets regulatory
requirements. The purpose of
the Regulations is to ensure
that this objective is consistently
met.’
Local authorities
Addressing the statutory obligations
on local authorities,
the report emphasised that in
their role as Supervisory
Authorities under the
Regulations, they must
ensure that ‘appropriate
actions’ are taken by group
water schemes to achieve
compliance, adding:
‘It is important to realise that
in all cases local authorities
are more than willing to
engage with these schemes
and to provide advice and
assistance, if required, on the
best way forward.’
Endorsing both the thrust
and content of the report, the
NRWMC agreed that inaction
on the part of schemes is
‘no longer an option’ where
water quality is concerned.