Drinking Water
There are various organisations related to drinking water. They include:
- Consumer Council for Water
- Drinking Water Inspectorate
- Environment Agency
- Office of Water Services
- South East Water
- Three Valleys Water Plc
- Water UK
The Consumer Council for Water is a national consumer watchdog agency for the water industry.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is the independent tap water watchdog that oversees the quality of tap water to ensure it is safe to drink when it reaches your home. It has announced figures showing that tap water quality in England and Wales has improved for another year running.
The DWI's 14th annual report revealed that 99.88% of 2.9 million tests carried out in 2003 met all the national and EU drinking water standards. The number of tests failing to meet standards was only 3,418 compared to more than 25,000 failures a decade ago.
The Inspectorate has also produced a variety of information leaflets which you can receive for free by contacting them and asking for the ones you would like, either by emailing them at dwi.enquiries@defra.gsi.gov.uk or by telephoning 020 7082 8024. Alternatively, you can view them now by clicking on the links below:
- What Do We Do?
- Chlorine, Smell, Taste
- Discoloured Water
- Lead in Drinking Water
- Private Water Supplies
- Problems with your Drinking Water
- Water Hardness
- Tap Water, where does it come from and how is it made safe to drink?
- Using lead-free solder for drinking water fittings
- Water quality in each water company
The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating how much water we can extract from different sources in order to protect and improve the quality of rivers, estuaries and coastal waters.
The Office of Water Services (OFWAT) is responsible for making sure the water and sewerage companies in England and Wales give you a good-quality, efficient service at a fair price. Every five years the OFWAT Director General reviews all water companies' future plans for services and prices and tells the companies how much they should charge their customers.
In 2003, the company carried out a total of 64,903 tests on samples of water leaving its 61 water treatment works, from its 172 service reservoirs and from consumers’ taps in its 90 water supply zones. Of these, 99.81% (64,778) complied with the standards set down in the Regulations. However, 0.19% (125) tests did not meet the standards.
The annual report for South East Water can be viewed on the DWI website.
In 2003, Three Valleys Water Plc carried out a total of 75,711 tests on samples of water leaving its 83 water treatment works, from its 137 service reservoirs and from consumers’ taps in its 108 water supply zones. Of these, 99.89% (75,629) complied with the standards set down in the Regulations. However, 0.11% (82) tests did not meet the standards.
The annual report for Three Valleys Water PLC can be viewed on the DWI website.
Water UK works on behalf of the water industry for a sustainable future. It represents UK water and waste water companies at a national and European level.
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