Our Reference: EIR/1323/2022

Dear Lee Jones

Request for information

We write following the email we’ve received the 11^th of November 2022,
which was sent to our Welsh Water Inbox.   

As your email contains a request for environmental information, this has
been passed to us to respond. We will deal with your request as one made
under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (“the Regulations”).

In accordance with the Regulations, we will respond to your request within
20 working days (calculated from the first working day after receipt).

We have assigned reference EIR/1323/2022 to your request. Please kindly
note this in all correspondence with us regarding this matter.

In the meantime, you can contact us on email at
[1][email address].

Yours faithfully,
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water

_______________________________________________________ Dwr Cymru Welsh
Water is firmly committed to water conservation and promoting water
efficiency. Please log on to our website www.dwrcymru.com/waterefficiency
to find out how you can become water wise. Mae Dwr Cymru Welsh Water wedi
ymrwymo i warchod adnoddau dwr a hyrwyddo defnydd dwr effeithiol. Mae
cyngor i' ch helpu i ddefnyddio dwr yn ddoeth yn
www.dwrcymru.com/waterefficiency

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Our Reference: EIR/1328/2022

Dear Julian Stokes

Request for information

We write following the email we’ve received the 16^th of November 2022,
which was sent to our Welsh Water Inbox.   

As your email contains a request for environmental information, this has
been passed to us to respond. We will deal with your request as one made
under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (“the Regulations”).

In accordance with the Regulations, we will respond to your request within
20 working days (calculated from the first working day after receipt).

We have assigned reference EIR/1328/2022 to your request. Please kindly
note this in all correspondence with us regarding this matter.

In the meantime, you can contact us on email at
[1][email address].

Yours faithfully,
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water

_______________________________________________________ Dwr Cymru Welsh
Water is firmly committed to water conservation and promoting water
efficiency. Please log on to our website www.dwrcymru.com/waterefficiency
to find out how you can become water wise. Mae Dwr Cymru Welsh Water wedi
ymrwymo i warchod adnoddau dwr a hyrwyddo defnydd dwr effeithiol. Mae
cyngor i' ch helpu i ddefnyddio dwr yn ddoeth yn
www.dwrcymru.com/waterefficiency

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Our Reference: EIR/1323/2022

Dear Lee Jones,

Request for information

We write further to your request for information dated 11^th November
2022, which we have been considering under
the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

For ease, we have broken down your request and set below your questions
followed by our response:

How is the water quality regulated?

Supplying high quality drinking water at all times is a priority to us.

Over the course of a year over 240 000 water tests are taken and analysed,
and of the water we supply, 99.98% meet drinking water quality standards
set by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) at customer taps.

What is the water tested for such as bacteria and chemical contamination?

Every day, water samples are taken and analysed. We test for organic
chemicals (carbon based chemicals such as those you find in pesticides and
herbicides) inorganic chemicals (such as iron, lead, manganese and
aluminium) and microbes (e.g. bacteria and viruses).

The water samples are brought daily from our reservoirs and water
treatment works and we test them at our laboratories equipped with
state-of-the-art instrumentation which are capable of detecting part per
trillion levels of trace compounds in the samples tested. 1 part per
trillion is equivalent to 1 second in 31,000 years!

Are there chemicals added/used in any of our sites throughout any of our
facilities in the entirety of our Welsh lands?

Chemical dosing is a necessary part of the treatment process to ensure
that safe and wholesome drinking water is supplied to our customers.  As
such, all chemicals used are compliant with the Regulations, which provide
a list of safe chemicals and materials for use in the treatment of
drinking water for human consumption and is free to view online.  As the
treatment process is continuous, chemicals are dosed constantly through
automated systems, using monitoring instruments throughout the process to
ensure that concentrations remain within suitable limits.

The process is automated, and the monitoring/control instruments ensure
optimal water quality without any chemical overdosing, which all
contributes to keeping the process as efficient as possible.  Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) is worn during the delivery of bulk chemicals
or when dealing with a blockage/burst, in line with our specific COSHH
activity assessments that are in place for every chemical at every site.

The dosing of chemicals will vary depending on the raw water conditions,
and may include the one or more of the following:

• Ferric sulphate, aluminium sulphate or aluminium chloride – coagulants
used to remove colour and other impurities
• Calcium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide – used to maintain the correct
pH.
• Chlorine or sodium hypochlorite – disinfectant used to kill bacteria
and viruses.
• Orthophosphoric acid – used to prevent lead dissolving from old pipes

We have an informative video and supporting documents on water treatment
on our website at the following link:

[1]https://www.dwrcymru.com/en/our-services...

We can also provide you with Water Quality Information for your area by
entering your postcode at the following link:

[2]https://www.dwrcymru.com/en/help-advice/...

We hope that this response is clear.

Should you have any questions, please contact us by email at
[3][email address]

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be
submitted within 40 working days of the date of receipt of this response
and should be addressed to Company Secretary, Linea, Fortran Road, St
Mellons, Cardiff CF3 0LT.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision.

Yours sincerely,

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water

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