River and Surface Water Quality
The Environment Agency takes a lead on river and surface water quality, more information can be found here
Public Water Supplies
If you are served by a public water supply, if you have any concerns about the water quality you should contact your supplier direct. Their contact telephone number will be on the most recent bill. Alternatively, you may be able to contact them using the following link
South East Water (provides for most homeowners in East Hampshire)
Portsmouth Water (supply some households in the south of the district)
Your water supplier will often already be aware of the problem and be able to give you advice. Alternatively they may carry out water sampling to establish the nature of the proble.
If you are still not satisfied, you can contact us at the Council and we will investigate. You can also contact the Consumer Council for Water.
Private Water supplies
What is a private water supply?
One which is not from a “mains” source, such as a:
- Well
- Borehole
- Spring
- Stream
- River
- Lake or pond
Safe drinking water is essential to good health. Consequently, private water supplies must be properly protected and treated to prevent contamination by:
- Micro-organisms
- Chemicals or
- Other substances such as lead.
Contamination, for example by micro-organisms, may not be obvious, since it may not show by smell, taste or colour of the water. While the majority of micro-organisms are harmless some cause serious illness.
A private water supply may serve just one property or several properties through a network of pipes. It also includes a supply provided for the purpose of bottling of water.
No water rates are paid, but the person who owns the supply may charge the users. The owner or the person who uses the supply is responsible for repairing and maintaining it.
Standards for Water Quality
To ensure that the water we use is safe, there are Government standards which must be met, which now include private water supplies . The standards are included in The Private Water Supplies Regulation, 2009. In addition, a new European Union Directive with tighter standards must be met by December 2003.
Click on the following links for further information on these topics:
What to do if your private water supply "fails" the quality test
Common treatment methods to improve the quality of private water supplies