Water

This page looks at some of the main bodies looking into water provision and pollution.

Water Meters

For many people, particularly those with small families, metering can be a good way of saving money and controlling the level of their bills.

All domestic customers have the choice to ask for a meter to be fitted to enable them to pay by volume of water used. For more details on water meters, including apply for a meter and online water meter calculator, please visit United Utilities website.

Water Pollution

The Environment Agency is responsible for maintaining or improving the quality of fresh, marine, surface and underground water in England and Wales.

Pollution may arise as point sources, such as discharges through pipes, or may be more diffuse, such as from run off from streets and buildings, or agricultural nutrients lost from fields.

Please visit Environment Agency website for information and advice on water quality/pollution.

Private Water Supplies

We have a number of domestic private water supplies in the district where we are the responsible authority for monitoring their quality both microbiologically (bacteria) and chemically (e.g. pesticides). The legislation we use is made under the Water Industry Act 1991 and is called the Private Water Supplies Regulations 1991. This tells us what the standards of the water should be and how often we have to test the water depending upon its use.

Bathing Water

We are responsible for checking the quality of all our swimming pools in the Borough to include leisure centres, private health clubs, hotels and outdoor pools, jacuzzis. We check these on a regular basis for chemical and microbiological quality unless there is a complaint or a problem with the tests, in which case the frequency will be increased.

Mains Water Supply

We may occasionally become involved in the testing of domestic mains water in addition to the statutory water undertakers for the area.

In addition, the Drinking Water Inspectorate who are the national body for ensuring the quality of water, provide an annual publication titled "How Good is Your Drinking Water"

Useful external links

The following websites may also provide useful information on water issues;

Environment Agency

Information about how to recycle our rain water, top tips for conserving water in the home and garden, at work and school, water quality for rivers, lakes and streams, what happens in a drought and charging for discharges. You can also find information about pollution incidents on their website.

Incident hotline: 0800 807060 (Freephone 24 hour) - to report an environmental incident

General Enquiries: 08708 506506 (Mon-Fri 8-6)

Floodline: 0845 988 1188 (24 hour) - Information about flooding

United Utilities

You can find information on how to use water wisely, preventing water leaks, paying your bill, saving money with a water meter. You can use their online water meter calculator to find out how much you could save if you installed a water meter on their website.

Water Pollution Guide

The site contains useful information about the sources of water pollution and the potential dangers it causes. It also gives a number of tips on preventing it and ways to help keep our waters clean. The guide is educational and a great source for both adults and children to learn about water pollution.