What are the drinking water standards?/المواصفات القياسية لمياه الشرب

DRINKING WATER INSPECTORATE

What are the drinking water standards?

BY

GENERAL.DR

BAHAA BADR

TECHNOLAB EL-BAHAA GROUP

Drinking water must be „wholesome‟ and this is defined in law by standards for a wide range of substances, organisms and properties of water in regulations.

The standards are set to be protective of public health and the definition of wholesome reflects the importance of ensuring that water quality is acceptable to consumers.

There is good agreement amongst worldwide on the science behind the setting of health based standards for drinking water and this expert evidence is documented by the World Health Organisation in the Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality.

You can look up all the background information to standards of water safety here.

The legal standards in the UK are those which are set in Europe in the Drinking Water Directive 1998 together with national standards set to maintain the high quality of water already achieved.

The standards are strict and include wide safety margins.

They cover:

 micro-organisms

 chemicals such as nitrate and pesticides

 metals such as lead and copper

 the way water looks and how it tastes

The full regulations can be found here.

An explanation of the organisms and substances
tested for regularly can be found in the Chief Inspectors Report here.

Parameter

Substance or organism tested for routinely in drinking water

EU requirement

These are the standards and specifications set in the EU Drinking Water Directive and apply in all the member states of the European Union

National requirement

These are national standards and specifications in the regulations which apply only in the UK.

Concentration or value or specification

Maximum or minimum or range allowed in drinking water

Point of compliance
The point where the legal standards apply, normally this is the consumers tap but it may be at the water works.

μg/l

Micrograms per litre (parts per billion)

mg/l

Milligrams per litre (parts per million)

MICROBIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS

Part I: Directive requirements
Parameters

Concentration or Value maximum)
Units of Measurement

Point of compliance

Enterococci

0

number/100ml

Consumers' taps

Escherichia coli (E. coli)

0
number/100ml

Consumers' taps

Part II: National requirements

Parameters

Concentration or Value maximum)

Units of Measurement

Point of compliance

Coliform bacteria

0

number/100ml

Service reservoirs* and water treatment works

Escherichia coli (E. coli)

0

number/100ml

Service reservoirs and water treatment works

Note: *Compliance required as to 95% of samples from each service reservoir

CHEMICAL PA
RAMETERS

Part I: Directive requirements

Parameters

Concentration or Value maximum)

Units of Measurement

Point of compliance

Acrylamide

0.10

μg/l

(i)

Antimony

5.0

μgSb/l

Consumers' taps

Arsenic

10

μgAs/l

Consumers' taps

Benzene

1.0

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Benzo(a)pyrene

0.010

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Boron

1.0

mgB/l

Consumers' taps

Bromate

10

μgBrO3/l

Consumers' taps

Cadmium

5.0

μgCd/l

Consumers' taps

Chromium

50

μgCr/l

Consumers' taps

Copper(ii)

2.0

mgCu/l

Consumers' taps

Cyanide

50

μgCN/l

Consumers' taps

1, 2 dichloroethane

3.0

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Epichlorohydrin

0.10

μg/l

(i)

Fluoride

1.5

mgF/l

Consumers' taps

Lead (ii)

(a) until December 2013

μgPb/l

Consumers' taps

(b) after 25th December 2013

μgPb/l

Consumers' taps

Mercury

1.0

μgHg/l

Consumers' taps

Nickel (ii)

20

μgNi/l

Consumers' taps

Nitrate (iii)

50

mgNO3/l

Consumers' taps

Nitrite (iii)

0.50

mgNO2/l

Consumers' taps

0.10

Treatment works

Pesticides (iv)(v)

Aldrin

0.030

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Dieldrin

0.030

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Heptachlor

0.030

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Heptachlor epoxide

0.030

μg/l

Consumers' taps

other pesticides

0.10

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Pesticides: Total (vi)

0.50

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (vii)

0.10

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Selenium

10

μgSe/l

Consumers' taps

Tetrachloroethene and Trichloroethene (viii)

10

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Trihalomethanes: Total (ix)

100

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Vinyl chloride

0.50

μg/l

(i)

Notes:

i) The parametric value refers to the residual monomer concentration in the water as
calculated according to specifications of the maximum release from the corresponding
polymer in contact with the water.

This is controlled by product specification.

ii) See also regulation 6(6)

iii) See also regulation 4(2)(d)

iv) See the definition of “pesticides and related products” in regulation 2

v) The parametric value applies to each individual pesticide.

vi) "Pesticides: Total" means the sum of the concentrations of the individual pesticides
detected and quantified in the monitoring procedure.

vii) The specified compounds are:

- benzo(b)fluoranthene - benzo(k)fluoranthene - b

enzo(ghi)perylene - indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene.

viii) The parametric value applies to th

e sum of the concentrations of the individual compounds detected and quantified in the
monitoring process.

The parametric value applies to the sum of the concentratio
ns of the individual compounds detected and quantified in the monitoring process.

ix) The specified compounds are:

- chloroform - bromoform

- dibromochloromethane - bromodichloromethane.

The parametric value applies to the sum of the concentrations of the individual compounds detected and quantified in the monitoring process.

National requirements

Parameters

Concentration or Value (maximum unless otherwise stated)

Units of Measurement

Point of compliance

Aluminium

200

μgAl/l

Consumers' taps

Colour

20

mg/l Pt/Co

Consumers' taps

Iron

200

μgFe/l

Consumers' taps

Manganese

50

μgMn/l

Consumers' taps

Odour

<1 at 25°C

Dilution number

Consumers' taps

Sodium

200

mgNa/l

Consumers' taps

Taste

<1 at 25°C

Dilution number

Consumers' taps

Tetrachloromethane

3

μg/l

Consumers' taps

Turbidity

4

NTU

Consumers' taps

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