Private Water Supplies & Private Water Distribution Systems

As a follow up to the recent consultation, the Welsh Assembly Government held a

workshop on 20 August at the Metropole to discuss the proposed new Private Water
Supply Regulations. The deadline for responding to the consultation was 8 June and
this workshop was designed to provide a further opportunity for interested parties to
give their views and share information.
Attendees at the meeting included Den Bannister (BH&HPA), Howard Jenkins
(WASCO), Liz Daniels (Agents), Julian Burrell (WTA) and a number of bed &
breakfast and self-catering operators.
The proposals affect a considerable number of bed & breakfast operators, some
hotels and guest houses and many self-caterers that are on private water supplies.
But also affected will be a number of larger establishments, holiday home parks and
self-catering complexes that are actually on mains water.
At the meeting it was made clear that the new regulations would also affect and
cover Private Water Distribution Systems. For example, a holiday home park is on
mains water with Dwr Cymru or Severn Trent bringing this supply to a storage tank;
the park owner then distributes the water to all the units on the site. This is mains
water but it is the park owner’s distribution system which will fall under this new
testing regime.
Presentations were made by Nicola Thomas, WAG’s Head of Water Policy Branch,
Phil Chatfield, Water Policy Advisor, David Kay, University of Aberystwyth – Centre of
Research into Environment and Health and Teresa Isaacs, Drinking Water
Inspectorate.
A reasonable summary of the proceedings would be that WAG do intend to press
ahead with the introduction of these regulations but they are willing to consider a
range of proposals that were discussed at the meeting that would enable the amount
of testing (and therefore the costs) to be reduced. Just one example regarding
testing for contaminants – if a contaminant was known to be not present in an area,
there would be no need to test for it at individual businesses.
WAG also appeared to accept that there was a need to consider grant funding and
support for implementation charges. WTA Chair drew their attention to the situation
in Scotland, where new regulations were implemented a few years ago. In December
2008, the Scottish Government recognised that the high costs of the initial tests
(which are the most onerous) were a significant burden to businesses and these are
now to be paid by the enforcing Local Councils who will in turn claim this back from
the Scottish Government as part of their costs of complying with the European
Directive.
Following the meeting, WAG will now publish a summary of the responses to the
consultation plus the results of the 20 August workshop.
The tourism industry needs to ensure that AMs and WAG officials are kept up to date
with developments and that action is taken to drastically reduce the financial burden
on operators, both with regards to private water supplies and distribution systems.
JB 27.08.09