Private water supplies

Definition of a private water supply

A private water supply is any water supply which is not provided by a water utility company. The source of the supply may come from:

Wells
Boreholes
Springs
Rivers or streams
Lakes or ponds
Private distribution systems (mains water privately distributed by a second party)

Register your private water supply

All private water supplies must be registered with the council for inclusion on our records and to allow us to undertake the relevant risk assessments and sampling.

To register, please email your contact details, your address and the source of the supply, including a brief description of the location for the source of the supply to: envhealth@cheltenham.gov.uk.

Requirement for water supply risk assessment and sampling

The Private Water Supply Regulations 2016 (as amended) require every relevant supply to have a risk assessment done by the council. Risk assessment helps to find potential hazards to human health and likely failure of national drinking water standards. The risk assessment will involve surveying the supply source through to point of use to find factors that could contaminate the water supply.

The following are the risk assessment and sampling requirements for each supply:

Single private dwellings

Do not require routine monitoring or a risk assessment, unless tenanted. However, a sample or risk assessment can be undertaken on request.

Small domestic supplies

The amount of monitoring will depend on the outcome of the risk assessment. However, it will be a minimum of once every five years. Supplies will be sampled for five basic issues and anything else that results from the risk assessment.

Private distribution systems

Monitoring must be carried out according to the outcome of the risk assessment.

Large supplies or commercial premises

Both check and audit monitoring are required on these supplies, the frequency of which will depend on the volume of water used by the supply and the outcome of the risk assessment:

Group A monitoring ensures the wholesomeness of the water
Group B monitoring determines whether the water supply meets the relevant standards

Fees for private water supply services

Officer time (by an authorised officer) for sampling and completing the risk assessment: £87.46 per hour.

Sampling: fees are set by the local authorities accredited laboratory service – we will let you know the cost, dependent on the type of supply and number of samples taken.

Courier fee: £35

All exclusive of VAT.

Investigation and action in event of a water failure

Any sample that fails to meet the drinking water standards laid out in the Private Water Supply Regulations 2016 (as amended) will result in the supply being investigated by the council to determine the reason for this failure.

If you are concerned about potential contamination of your supply please contact your water provider or the council for advice.

In the event of failure or risk assessment, where a supply is found to be unwholesome or a potential danger to human health, a notice will be served restricting the supply. The notice will be specific for each supply that has a failure of standards. Failure to comply with a notice may result in prosecution in a Magistrates Court.

Useful contacts

The Drinking Water Inspectorate – which is responsible for assessing drinking water quality in England and Wales

Email us at: envhealth@cheltenham.gov.uk