Environmental regulations
Stringent UK and European legislation governs much of the work we do. This is both in the supply of drinking water and the treatment and safe recycling of wastewater.
Drinking water quality
The quality of your drinking water has to comply with the tough Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations. These are set and enforced by the UK’s Drinking Water Inspectorate.
We collect samples from our water supply network every day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Our scientists then carry out over 600,000 tests, for over 100 different, substances each year, to ensure you receive drinking water that is among the best in Europe.
Water supply is a key part of our business. We supply more than 540 million litres every day to over one million households. This is why we continue to undertake massive investments in new plants, technology and pipework.
Environment Agency
Our environmental regulator is the Environment Agency. It monitors our performance to ensure environmental standards, which are driven by both UK and European legislation, are met.
In addition, the agency gives consent for environmental schemes that we need to carry out to continue making improvements to the supply of drinking water and the treatment of wastewater.
Again, these environmental demands are underpinned by both UK and European legislation.
Wastewater treatment
Legislation for the standard of wastewater treatment is enshrined in the EC Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. This directive lays down the minimum standards that must be applied.
It requires a minimum of a secondary “biological” treatment process for all wastewater treatment.
The Directive can also require a further, third, stage of treatment for those rivers or bathing waters which are officially designated as sensitive, and for which there is a population equivalent of more than 10,000 people.
Shellfish
The Water Framework Directive is designed to protect the ecological health of the water body, and as a result, the shellfish growing within it. This directive is implemented in the UK by The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) (Amendment) regulations 2016.
The purpose of these regulations is to ensure that shellfish waters can continue to be identified, protected and monitored. Any environmental objectives to improve and protect the water quality and support shellfish must be set and monitored in those areas.
Bathing water
Finally, under the EC Bathing Water Directive, the Environment Agency take samples between May and September each year to monitor the seawater quality and specifically check bacteria levels, at 83 designated bathing waters in our region.
The Directive requires that 19 out of 20 weekly samples must meet stringent criteria which determine the levels of bacteria found in those samples.
