Water quality survey highlights the value of monitoring private water supplies
Last updated: 02/11/2011
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A survey of private water supplies serving 258 homes in
East Cornwall has confirmed that the geology of Cornwall which is
widely known through its history of mining activities, has
contributed, along with plumbing derived substances, to an
increased level of metals and minerals present in some private
drinking water supplies.
The survey, undertaken earlier this year by
the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in collaboration with Cornwall
Council and the British Geological Survey (BGS), found that the
majority of supplies which were analysed for a broad range of
metals and minerals, including aluminium, antimony, arsenic,
copper, fluoride, iron, lead, manganese, nickel and nitrates, met
standards set by the Private Water Supplies Regulations
2009.
For more than two thirds of the supplies
tested, householders will have received a results letter from the
study team explaining that no further action is required. In
the remaining cases, where a water sample has exceeded the
standard, householders have been given a results letter with
specific advice about next steps and health information.
The standards, known as the prescribed
concentrations or values (PCVs), are set to protect public health
or prevent the taste or smell of the water being affected or the
water causing staining to laundry, sinks and baths. In 16 cases
where the private water supplies were found to have elevated levels
of lead and arsenic, householders are being advised to consider
re-sampling, replacing plumbing, installing treatment or using an
alternative water supply.
Graham Martin from Cornwall Council’s
Environmental Health team said: “It is important that the health
risks are seen in context and for householders to have all the
facts before making a decision about any action. New private water
supply regulations which came into force in 2009 place a
responsibility on all local councils to complete an assessment of
the risks to the quality of private drinking water supplies in
their areas by January 2015.
This study is not just important for the
households taking part; it has a wider long term aim for the
remainder of Cornwall. Thanks to this survey we hope to predict the
areas where it would be prudent to test for substances that our
past testing, so far, has not included; nickel and arsenic for
example. This in turn will allow householders, and the
Council, to assess the potential risks and to decide if there’s a
need to test in the future for another parameter.
This survey focussed on metals and minerals
but microbiological contamination remains an important public
health risk in private supplies.
We will be offering advice on testing or re
testing to owners, occupiers, landlords or other persons who are
responsible for a private water supply. In the few cases
where the exceedence is in a supply which is either a large one or
is used for commercial purposes then we will have to investigate
further to determine the most appropriate course of action.”
Dr Jill Meara, Deputy Director of the HPA’s Centre for
Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, said: “We appreciate
that where substances such as arsenic and lead are found in higher
levels in private water drinking supplies, it can cause alarm. The
HPA is advising Cornwall Council on the health implications of
these findings. It is for the council to take forward any
further actions to protect the householders' health”.
Story posted 02 November 2011