Private Water Supplies
Private Water Supplies
Environmental Health staff deal with the sampling requirements of private water supplies as laid down in the Private Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 2006. These require that, depending on the type of supply, the number of persons using the supply or the amount of water used, the supply be sampled at varying intervals. Commercial supplies have to be registered with the Council and must (under the regulations) be sampled at least once a year.
Grants of up to £800 per property on the supply are available from the Council to help you improve your private water supply. This may include the installation of treatment equipment, such as Ultra-violet or Ceramic filters, the replacement of storage tanks and pipework, or for the provision of a new private water supply such as a borehole or domestic distribution system (within the meaning of the 2006 Regulations). Grants are not available for replacement of private water supplies by connecting to a mains supply.
The Grant Scheme is non-means tested and you may be eligible for financial assistance if:
- Your home or business is in the Borders and served by a private water supply
- The private water supply is the main or sole source of water for human consumption purposes to these premises (water that is used for drinking, cooking, food preparation and/or washing purposes, including the maintenance of personal hygiene)
- Your private water supply is in need of improvement to bring it up to modern standards.
If you share your supply with a number of neighbouring premises, you may wish to consider making a joint application. A joint application can be submitted in respect of all the premises served by the supply, by you and the other owners or occupiers acting together. In the majority of cases, a joint approach is likely to provide the most effective long-term solution to improve your water quality, as the amount of grant assistance is greatly increased.
The cost of improving a private supply can vary hugely and there will be instances where the supply requires work that exceeds the maximum £800 per property grant. In such cases, it will be your responsibility to meet the additional costs. However, in some cases, if there are genuine cases of "hardship" (usually the receipt of state benefits), the grant allowance may be increased.
If there are any difficulties experienced regarding the Grant system, Scottish Borders Council can also provide information, advice and even help you complete the application form.
After you have inquired about the grant, a Risk assessment (usually including a water sample) of your supply will be carried out by Environmental Health staff to establish the details of improvements required to conform to the Private Water Supplies (Regulations) 2006.
As a word of caution, you should not start any of the improvement works before your application is approved and we have agreed that the expenditure is necessary and covered by the most recent regulations.
There are some exceptions to Grant approval, the most common being:
- New builds (these are covered by different legislation that states that a wholesome water supply must be in place upon completion of the property).
- Houses under Closing Orders, Demolition Orders or a Dangerous Building Notice.
- Empty or unoccupied premises (excluding holiday homes that are occupied only some of the time).
Further (specific) details of these restrictions and others can be supplied upon request.
For initial enquiries regarding the Grant, or any of the information above, please contact Environmental Health, write to :
Scottish Borders Council, Environmental Health, High Street, Hawick TD9 9EF or call 0300 100 1800.
Useful link:
Unified Solutions.