4. Protection of waters used for abstracting drinking water
This section describes the mechanisms protecting the quality or quantity of water used for drinking water supplies.
The mechanisms protecting the quality or quantity of water also protect surface and groundwater bodies from which raw water for drinking water supplies is abstracted. These mechanisms include statutory protected areas and their related requirements under the WFD Regulations. The Environment Agency’s approach to groundwater protection sets out the policy and positions to how the Environment Agency deals with activities that pose a risk to groundwater.
Legislative mechanisms for protecting waters abstracted for raw water for drinking water supplies are as follows.
Water Resources Act 1991 s93 provides the legislation for establishing statutory Water Protection Zones.
Water Industry Act 1991 Part III deals with water supply, sets out general duties for protecting and managing quality and sufficiency of supplies.
Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 as amended establishes a risk-based approach to assessment and monitoring of water intended for public supply, requiring water supply operators to consider issues in the environment.
Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016 sets objectives and minimum standards for drinking water from private supplies, and introduces:
- powers for local authorities
- risk-based assessment element for protection of larger private supplies
Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 requires:
- water bodies used for the abstraction of water intended for human consumption to be identified as statutory Drinking Water Protected Areas
- measures put in place aiming to avoid deterioration in quality to reduce the level of purification treatment required to produce drinking water
- objectives to protect, enhance and restore groundwater bodies and reverse any sustained upward trends to be set out
Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 provides regulation to control water discharge and groundwater activities including permitting which protects surface waters and groundwater from pollution.
The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016, and the Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016, protect the health of consumers and make sure that the water is wholesome and safe to drink. To protect human health, standards are established for the quality of water intended for domestic purposes (which includes drinking, cooking, food preparation and washing) and for food production purposes. Microbiological and chemical standards must be complied with at a consumer’s tap or at the point at which it is used in a food production undertaking. Public water supply will be monitored by water undertakers and supply licensees and private water supplies by local authorities.
The Regulations are supported by other mechanisms that control pollution from point and diffuse sources (see sections 6 and 7). The Drinking Water Inspectorate is the independent regulator of water quality for public water supply in England and Wales and they provide technical and scientific advice to local authorities who are the regulators of private water supplies.
You can find further information on drinking water legislation.
Drinking Water Protected Areas are water bodies used now, or may be used in future, for abstracting water for drinking, cooking, preparing food, or in food production businesses. A statutory Drinking Water Protected Area is identified if the water body provides more than 10m3 a day on average or serves more than 50 people. The Environment Agency undertakes risk assessments to identify Drinking Water Protected Areas at risk of deterioration and then uses a risk-based approach for their protection with:
- a general level of protection for all drinking water sources including use of environmental permits to control and prevent pollution of water supplies
- existing mechanisms for dealing with diffuse and point sources of pollution contribute to protecting the water quality in Drinking Water Protected Areas (see sections 6 and 7), however these mechanisms are not always sufficient to provide the protection needed, particularly from diffuse sources of pollution. Safeguard Zones are established where deterioration risk is identified to focus pollution prevention measures so Drinking Water Protected Area objectives can be met
Water companies investigate and undertake catchment schemes reducing diffuse pollution to protect and improve their public supply sources, funded through the Price Review process. Catchment schemes can also help to reduce downstream flooding and enhance biodiversity.