Key Facts about: Inland Water Quality and Use
Drinking water quality: 1992-2005
United Kingdom
|
Percentage exceeding (failing to meet) standards |
||||||
|
1995 |
1998 |
2000 |
2002 |
2004 |
2005 |
|
|
England and Wales |
0.55 |
0.22 |
0.20 |
0.13 |
0.06 |
0.05 |
|
Scotland |
1.51 |
1.41 |
0.70 |
0.52 |
0.43 |
0.36 |
|
Northern Ireland |
1.10 |
1.14 |
1.09 |
0.88 |
0.28 |
0.25 |
Water undertakers in the UK are required to supply wholesome water and are responsible for assessing the quality of that water through regular sampling of water treatment works, service reservoirs and discrete water supply zones.
New water supply regulations came into force at the end of 2003 changing the number of determinand tests undertaken so that 2004 onwards is not directly comparable to previous years. Please see the text in the drinking water quality section for more detail.
In 2005 in England and Wales, over 2 million determinations were made and 0.05 per cent failed to meet the standards. In Scotland 345 thousand determinations were made in 2005 and 0.36 per cent failed to meet the standards. In Northern Ireland 115 thousand determinations were made in 2005 and 0.25 per cent failed.
In Detail:
Further Information:
- Source:
- DWI, The Scottish Executive, DOE(NI) Water Service
Data Tables:
Download Chart Data: Microsoft Excel
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Page last modified: 14 March 2007
Page published: 15 February 2006