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Watford Borough Council
Pollution control - water
Environmental Services has a role in ensuring that water quality is maintained and that water used for drinking and food production is safe.
Officers work in three areas to ensure water quality:- Private water supplies: for those who extract their private water supply from boreholes
- Bathing waters: to include swimming pools at leisure centres, jacuzzis and hydrotherapy pools
- Mains water: to include manufacturers of food and drink as well as working with Three Valleys Water to ensure the domestic water supply is safe.
Private water supplies
We have one domestic private water supply where we are the responsible authority for monitoring 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 waters
This includes swimming pools, jacuzzis, paddling pools etc.
Environmental Services has an enforcement role in ensuring that water at private leisure facilities is the correct quality. The responsibility for ensuring water quality in Council run facilities lies with Leisure and Community Services at Watford Borough Council. If you have concerns about a Council run facility, please contact this service. If your concerns are about a privately run facility, please contact Environmental Services.
The quality of water is also important in air conditioning systems and cooling towers, in the control of which Environmental Health Officers are also involved.
Mains water supply
We work to ensure the quality of the mains water in our food manufacturers to include breweries and other food industries. Officers work with Three Valleys Water, who provide mains water to domestic and commercial properties in Watford, to monitor the quality of the supply.
If you believe that you have a problem with your mains water, contact Three Valleys Water on 0845 782 3333 and explain your concerns to them. They should be able to arrange to test your water if necessary. The Council does not test water, but may be able to provide advice if you are not able to resolve the issue with Three Valleys Water.
In addition, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, which is the national body for ensuring the quality of water, provide an annual publication titled 'How Good is Your Drinking Water?'
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