Annual Report on Water Quality District Council 2019

April 2020

Table of Contents

1 Introduction ...... 3 2 Water Treatment Works, Service Reservoirs and Water Supply Zones ...... 3 3 Water Quality ...... 4 4 Customer Contacts ...... 5 5 Section 19 Undertakings, Authorised Departures & Regulation 28 Notices...... 5 6 Notifiable events ...... 6 7 Further information and advice ...... 7 8 Appendix One ...... 9 9 Appendix Two ...... 9

1 Introduction

Affinity Water produces an annual report for each local authority regarding the general quality of water supplied to premises in the authority’s area. The information includes results of samples taken from water supply zones in the authority’s area of responsibility and any associated exceedences (see section 3 Water Quality) relevant to those supply areas i.e. exceedences from supplying water treatment works and service reservoirs. In 2019, 99.97% of the 170,000 tests taken as part of the Company’s regulatory monitoring programme complied with the standards confirming that drinking water quality continues to be of a very high standard. The report also includes details of the actions taken to comply with any enforcement orders, authorised departures and notices under regulation 19(4). This report is for Uttlesford District Council and covers the year ending 31 December 2019.

2 Water Treatment Works, Service Reservoirs and Water Supply Zones

In 2019, the Company met the demand for drinking water by operating 93 water treatment works. The water supply to the area covered by the Council was provided by the following water treatment works:

Debden Road Hadham Hempstead Newport Sacombe Sawbridgeworth Stansted Thundridge Uttlesford Bridge Wendens

Treated water from the above works is either passed directly into supply or via one of the following service reservoirs:

Berden WT Canfield WT Chishill Cutlers Green WT Gunters Gunters WT Gussetts WT Poplars WT Sibleys Sibleys WT Wimbish WT

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The Company’s area is divided into discrete Water Supply Zones, each with a population of 100,000 or less. In 2019, Affinity Water had 89 such zones.

In 2019, Uttlesford District Council’s area was served by Zones:

004 Chrishall / Great Chesterford 005 Hadstock 006 007 Ashdon / Great Sampford 011 Stansted 012 Newport 013 Thaxted 018 Bishop Stortford 019 Uttlesford Dunmow 022 Sawbridgeworth 024 /Hadham 025 Epping/Ongar

Maps and results of analyses for the above water supply zones can be found in Appendix 2.

3 Water Quality

During August, coliform bacteria were detected in a routine sample taken from Canfield Water Tower, Dunmow. As a precaution the water tower was taken out of supply and drained down to allow an internal inspection to be undertaken. Our investigation established that the water leaving the tower was satisfactory, we did identify some minor ingress during the internal inspection which may have caused the exceedance. Coliforms do not pose a risk to public health. All exceedences of the standards are reported to the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) in monthly exception reports. In the event that the DWI is not satisfied with the Company’s explanation of the circumstances and the action taken, enforcement action can be initiated.

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4 Customer Contacts

Under the Water Industry (Suppliers’ Information) Direction 2019, the Company must provide the DWI with annual information on all consumer contacts received related to drinking water quality. For each water supply zone, the consumer contacts are separated into five main categories (with further division into sub-categories). An overall rate of contact per 1000 population is calculated for each zone as well as contact rates for combined categories. The customer contact data for water supply zones within your Council’s area of responsibility is shown in the table below.

Zone Zone Rate Zone Rate Overall zone rate (Population) (Consumer (Appearance, taste (Contacts per 1000 Enquiries & and odour & illness pop.) Drinking Water per 1000 pop.) Quality Concern per 1000 population) Company average 0.25 0.81 1.06 Z004 (6,025) 0.66 2.32 2.99 Z005 (382) 0.00 5.24 5.24 Z006 (18,071) 0.61 1.99 2.60 Z007 (4,961) 0.60 0.81 1.41 Z011 (11,011) 0.27 1.36 1.63 Z012 (3,436) 0.00 2.33 2.33 Z013 (3,985) 0.25 4.52 4.77 Z018 (42,241) 0.26 0.73 0.99 Z019 (33,209) 0.30 0.96 1.26 Z022 (17,709) 0.28 1.64 1.92 Z024 (93,435) 0.17 1.26 1.43 Z025 (60,217) 0.27 1.41 1.68 The customer contact rate in Zone 004 was significantly higher than the Company average; this is because contacts from a small population generate statistical anomalies. Investigations in the zone confirm that the water quality is satisfactory. The customer contact rate in Zone 005 was significantly higher than the Company average; this is because contacts from a small population generate statistical anomalies. Investigations in the zone confirm that the water quality is satisfactory. The customer contact rate in Zone 006 was significantly higher than the Company average. This is because a higher number of discoloured water contacts were received in November 2019 following third party damage to a water main in Saffron Walden. The customer contact rate in Zone 012 was significantly higher than the Company average. This is because a higher number of discoloured water contacts were received in November 2019 following a burst main in Wells Mead. The customer contact rate in Zone 013 was significantly higher than the Company average. This is because a higher number of aerated water contacts were received in May following an issue with a booster pump.

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5 Section 19 Undertakings, Authorised Departures & Regulation 28 Notices

Within the Council’s area of supply Zone 024 is affected by the Company’s Section 19 Undertaking relating to manganese from Roydon Water Treatment Works. The Company agreed to install a new treatment process at the works and clean the associated mains network to remove existing deposits. The new treatment process was completed by the end of 2012 and the mains cleaning programme was completed in March 2017. The DWI was satisfied that we had met our obligations under the terms of the Undertaking and relieved us of any obligation to carry out further work. The Company did not have any Authorised Departures in place during 2019 for zones within the Council’s area. In order to meet the standard relating to lead, the Company has continued operating orthophosphate dosing plants at 38 sites across the Company’s area. Zones 007, 011 and 019 receive water dosed with orthophosphate.

6 Notifiable events

Under the Water Industry (Suppliers Information) Direction 2019, the DWI must be notified of any situation where water quality is likely to be, or has been, adversely affected. Since 2009 the DWI has been using an event classification system to assess and quantify the significance of a notifiable event, giving each one a number (1 to 5) with an equivalent rating (“not significant” through to “major”). The Company regards any event classified as a 3 Significant or above as being equivalent to the previously designated ‘incident’. During 2019 there was one such notifiable events within your Council’s area of responsibility. During April, a consumer contacted the Company to report that there had been a leak on a fuel line outside their property in Burton End, Stansted and that they were concerned about the risk to their water supply. Our investigation confirmed a solvent odour in their water supply, and this was confined to the single property. Fuel from the leaking pipeline that runs near the plastic water supply pipe at the property had permeated through the pipe and into their water supply. We advised the consumer to use bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes. Samples taken following the subsequent remedial work and replacement of the plastic supply pipe with barrier pipe were satisfactory with no odour detected and we lifted the restriction notice. The event was classified by the DWI as not significant.

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7 Further information and advice

For further information and advice on all water quality matters please contact: Eddie Lintott Water Quality Manager Affinity Water Tamblin Way Hatfield AL10 9EZ

Telephone: 0345 357 3407

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Appendices

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8 Appendix One – Map

9 Appendix Two – Water Quality Results

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