Water quality

Owners are responsible for maintaining the water supply on their property.

Mains water which becomes discoloured or tainted should be reported to Welsh Water on 0800 052 0130 or on the Welsh Water website.

Private water supplies

What are Private Water Supplies?

A private water supply is any water supply which is not provided by Dŵr Cymru / Welsh Water.

The source of the supply may be a spring, well, borehole or a surface derived supply. The supplies serve a single property or several properties or serve a commercial or public premise.

Health Risks associated to Private Water Supplies

Private water supplies can threaten health unless protected and treated as unlike public supplies, many private supplies are not treated. The council monitors the quality of all identified private water supplies.

The legislation applicable to regulating all private water supplies in Wales is the Private Water Supplies (Wales) 2017.  

The regulations include the following:

  • applies to all water intended either in its original state or after treatment and intended for drinking, cooking, food preparation or other domestic purposes. They also apply to all water used in any food production undertaking where products produced are intended for human consumption.
  • It stipulates water quality standards to protect the health of consumers of the supply.

Within the Regulation the Council has the following duties where they are required: 

  • To undertake a risk assessment of all shared water supplies and commercial supplies every 5 years and to respond to any request for a risk assessment by the owners or occupiers of a single dwelling.
  • To require the Council to monitor all shared supplies and commercial supplies in accordance with the sampling frequencies specified and to respond to any requests by owners or occupiers of single dwellings.
  • To require the council to keep records of all private water supplies in the district and to supply on report of activities undertake to the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI).
  • sets out procedures that the Council must follow if the Council considers a private water supply to be unwholesome or a potential danger to human health.
  • makes provision for fees to be charged to owners of private supplies in respect of undertaking various activities or duties required by the regulations.
  • Newport City Council has approved charges for undertaking its activities under the Regulations; see “Private water supply fees”. For further information contact [email protected] 

Lead

If the water supply passes through a lead tank or pipes there is likely to be dissolved lead in the water and the tank or pipes may need to replaced.

Lead can be harmful to very young children.

Contact

Environmental protection at Newport City Council