The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017

PART 10 RECORDS AND INFORMATION

Maintenance of records

36.—(1) The water undertaker must prepare and maintain, in respect of each of its water supply zones, a record containing—

(a) the name of the zone;

(b) the name of every water treatment works, service reservoir and other supply point from which water is supplied to premises within the zone;

(c) an estimate of the population of the zone;

(d) the details contained within each risk assessment carried out under regulation 30, including a summary of its results;

(e) particulars of any departure authorised under Part 8 which applies to water supplied in the zone;

(f) particulars of the action taken or required to be taken by the water undertaker to comply with -

(i) any departure authorised under Part 8; and

(ii) any notice under regulation 23(3);

(g) particulars of the result of any analysis of samples taken in accordance with Part 4 or any of regulations 14 to 17 and 20 and 31; and

(h) such other particulars as the water undertaker may determine.

(2) The water undertaker must make—

(a) entries in respect of the matters mentioned in paragraph (1)(f)(i), where relevant, and (1)(f)(ii) within 28 days of the date of the authorisation and notice respectively; and

(b) entries relating to the results of the analysis of samples within 28 days of the day on which the result is first known to the water undertaker.

(3) Without prejudice to paragraph (2) the water undertaker must at least once in each year review and bring up to date the record required to be kept by paragraph (1).

(4) Nothing in this regulation shall require the water undertaker to retain a record—

(a) of information mentioned in any of sub-paragraphs (a), (b) and (f) of paragraph (1) at any time more than 30 years after the date on which the information was first entered in the record;

(b) of information mentioned in any other sub-paragraph of that paragraph at any time more than five years after the date on which the information was first entered in the record.

Provision of information

37.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (2), (3), and (4), any person may request a water undertaker to send them a copy of any record maintained by a water undertaker under regulation 36, and a water undertaker must, within ten working days of the receipt of the request, send a copy of the record requested to the person.

(2) A water undertaker must comply with a request under paragraph (1)—

(a) in the case of a request relating to a water supply zone, free of charge if the person receives a supply of water in the zone; or

(b) in any other case, on payment of such reasonable charge as a water undertaker may determine.

(3) Paragraph (1) does not oblige a water undertaker to comply with a request which is vexatious.

(4) Where a water undertaker has previously complied with a request which was made by any person, paragraph (1) does not oblige it to comply with a subsequent identical or substantially similar request from that person unless a reasonable interval has elapsed between compliance with the previous request and the making of the subsequent request.

(5) A water undertaker must include in, or append to, at least one of the accounts sent to each customer in any year a statement informing the customer of their rights under paragraph (1).

(6) As soon as possible after an event which, by reason of its effect or likely effect on the water supplied by a water undertaker, gives rise or is likely to give rise to a significant risk to human health, a water undertaker must notify—

(a) in every case—

(i) every appropriate district council;

(ii) the Public Health Agency (formally known as the Regional Agency for Public Health and Social Well-being and established by section 12 of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009); and

(iii) the Department.

(7) Where a person has received a notification under paragraph (6), they may require a water undertaker to provide them with such further information relating to the event and its consequences as they may reasonably require.

Publication of Information

38.—(1) The water undertaker must, not later than 30^th June in each year, publish a report relating to the preceding year containing—

(a) a statement of the number of treatment works, service reservoirs and other supply points from which it supplied water during any part of that year;

(b) a statement of the number of its water supply zones for the year;

(c) a summary of appropriate information of samples taken and any associated departures authorised under Part 8;

(d) a statement of the action taken by the water undertaker during the year to comply with—

(i) any departure authorised under Part 8; and

(ii) any notice served by the Department under these regulations

(e) a statement of the overall drinking water quality, to include information on microbiological and chemical testing and samples taken; and

(f) a statement of events and incidents affecting drinking water quality;

(2) A report under paragraph (1) may include such other information as the water undertaker thinks fit.

(3) At the same times as it publishes a report in accordance with paragraph (1), the water undertaker must send a copy of it to every district council within whose area it supplied water in the preceding year.

(4) In addition to the report provided under paragraph (3), the water undertaker must provide appropriate information on drinking water quality specific to every district council.