Private water supplies

We have a legal duty under the Private Water Supply (England) Regulations 2016 to keep ourselves informed about the safety of large, commercial and small private water supplies in our district.

A private water supply is one which is not from a “mains” source, such as a:  

• well  
• borehole  
• spring  
• stream  
• river  
• lake or pond  

As East Cambridgeshire is a relatively rural district, we have around 50 properties that are not supplied by mains water from the water companies.  

A private water supply may serve just one property or several properties through a network of pipes. It also includes a supply provided for the purpose of bottling of water.  

No water rates are paid, but the person who owns the supply may charge the users. The owner or the person who uses the supply is responsible for repairing and maintaining it.  

Responsibility for maintaining private water supplies

It is the owner/occupier’s responsibility to make sure the premises has a wholesome water supply. If this is not the case, for example if the water supply fails a bacteriological test, every effort should be made to make sure the situation is rectified.

As the local authority, it is our responsibility to ensure improvements are achieved and where necessary use enforcement powers.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate has some useful information regarding private water supplies.  

Potential sources of contamination

All private water supplies must be properly protected and treated to prevent contamination by:  

• micro-organisms - the most common source is from animal waste where water is drawn from farmed land, or where manure is spread, especially at times of heavy rainfall, discharges from cesspits or septic tanks may also cause contamination  
• chemicals - for example, nitrates, pesticides and chemicals from some industrial or commercial processes may affect private water supplies, water with high nitrate levels is particularly unsuitable for bottle-fed babies
• other substances such as lead - if your water supply passes through a lead tank or pipes, it is likely that some lead will dissolve into the water, this is particularly harmful to young children, so pipes and tank may need to be replaced  

Contamination, for example by micro-organisms, may not be obvious, since it may not show by smell, taste or colour of the water.  

While most micro-organisms are harmless some cause serious illness. All those who drink contaminated water are at risk of infection. The risk is likely to be greater for those who do not drink the water regularly, or for those with lower immune systems such as the elderly or very young.  

The quality of the water may vary at times, depending on factors such as recent weather conditions and changes in surrounding land-use.

Standards for water quality  

To ensure that all the water we use is safe there are government standards which must be met. Read the Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016.

Under these regulations we have a legal duty to keep ourselves informed about the safety of large, commercial and small private water supplies in our district.

The way we carry out our duties relating to private water supplies are controlled. These include:

• undertaking risk assessments every five years
• undertaking investigations where water is considered unwholesome  
• monitoring supplies by regularly testing the water
• sampling and analysis procedures to ensure precision and accuracy of results
• granting authorisations on application under specific circumstances
• issuing notices where supplies constitute a potential danger to human health
• keeping records of private water supplies for our area
• setting fixed and reasonable charges for conducting risk assessments, investigations, sampling and testing

Where risk assessments or investigations or monitoring of water supplies indicates a potential danger to human health all users of the supply will be informed, given advice to allow them to minimise potential danger and where possible told of the degree of potential harm.

Where we determine that a supply is a potential danger to human health, a notice may be served to restrict use of the supply. It may include improvements which have to be made to help towards the provision of wholesome water.

Read our water quality page to find out what to do if your water supply fails bacteriological tests. Results are given to both the resident of the property where the sample was taken, and, if relevant, to the supply owner. 

Categorisation of water supplies and frequency of sampling 

If the private supply provides 10 cubic metres or more of water daily, or provides water for a commercial activity, it will be controlled as per Regulation 9, and be required to have a risk assessment undertaken every 5 years with monitoring undertaken in accordance with Schedule 2.

For supplies providing less than 10 cubic metres of water daily it will be controlled as per Regulation 10 and be required to have a risk assessment undertaken every 5 years and be monitored in accordance with Schedule 1 where the risk assessment shows additional parameters are required to be tested for.

For single dwellings not used as a commercial activity only upon request from the owner will monitoring be undertaken. Under such circumstances a risk assessment is required and parameters tested for will be based on the findings of the risk assessment.

Private testing

If you are the owner of a private water supply that feeds water to a single dwelling and are concerned about the quality of your water supply, we can undertake a risk assessment and monitoring.

You should also contact us if you already have your supply monitored but wish for more regular testing to be carried out. The costs will depend on the extent of the investigation required. The supply owner is usually responsible for the cost, but can request a contribution from the users.

Fees

Our Private Water Supply Charging Scheme has been adopted in accordance with Regulation 21 of the Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016.

The regulations lay down the maximum applicable charges and the table below provides information on the maximum fees. If enforcement action is required costs can only be claimed for such activity if a statutory notice is not complied with and an individual becomes liable to a fine on summary conviction.