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Richard Morris MRICS FAAV, Associate Partner, Chartered Surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer discusses the importance of testing private water supplies.
Water supplies can be taken for granted, particularly if what is coming out of the tap continues to look and taste as it always has.
Since the Private Water Supplies (PWS) Regulations 2016, there is a strict legal responsibility for people managing PWS to consistently produce drinking water from private sources of a good quality and quantity.
With mains water at around £2 per m³, a PWS can be a significant asset. However, landowners must take steps to make sure it is not a costly liability.
The increasing trend of heavy rainfall and occasional flooding can lead to private water supplies being contaminated by wash or rapid percolation, if they are from shallow springs. It should be remembered that any PWS that supplies properties other than the landowner’s immediate household, should have been subject to a local authority risk assessment. Local authorities have been patchy in this requirement. It would be very prudent for landowners to carry out their own risk assessment. This should logically start at the source, be it a well, spring or borehole, checking that fencing is in place to keep stock out of the sensitive zone around the source and any banks and ditches to keep flood water away are up to scratch.
It should then look at the supply and distribution system. Any reservoirs should be vermin proof with sealed lids. Particular risk points on pipelines are water troughs, if there is potential for dirty water to be sucked back into the system by a temporary drop in pressure.
The final and probably the most important area to focus on is the treatment of the water before it is used. Most users of a PWS are familiar the benefits of an ultraviolet (UV) treatment system. What should be remembered is that these require servicing and frequent checking. It is not unknown for UV bulbs to blow or trip out and regular cleaning of the quartz tube is required.
Testing should be carried out periodically. If the system supplies 5 or more properties, this should be carried out annually by the District Council. However, even if it only supplies 1 or 2 properties, it is still prudent to carry out an annual test, or ideally every 9 months, so that the test is taken at different times of the year when there may be different stresses or strains on the system.
Finally, there should be a plan for alternative water supplies should there either be a significant contamination (diesel leaks or hydraulic pipe failures can occur) or, more likely, the water source giving up the ghost after a prolonged dry spell. This ideally should be a mains water backup with sufficient safeguards to ensure mains water and PWS cannot meet. Alternatively, it might be a point on the system where a reservoir could be topped up by water bowsers or a temporary reservoir installed to maintain service.
As always, record keeping is important, not just to demonstrate a proactive approach to water supply but also as a reminder for service intervals or sampling dates.
A PWS forms an important part of the compliance requirements, so it is important to deal with a firm familiar with rural lettings. For any questions or advice, please contact Stags Professional Services on 01823 653424 or [email protected] to be put in contact with your local expert.
