Research programme
The objective of the Drinking Water Quality and Health research programme is to provide the science base for policy on drinking water quality encompassing both health and consumer acceptability issues. The Drinking Water Inspectorate works to protect public health by assessing whether water companies in both England and Wales are complying with the duty to supply wholesome drinking water as defined in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations which implement the EU Drinking Water Directive (DWD) and national standards. Our current ROAME statement (PDF 76KB) lays out these aims and objectives of the our research programme.
The adequacy of current levels of health protection is under continuous review and the decisions of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which sets global drinking water quality and health guideline values, are an important element in updating and revising the DWD. Future regulatory proposals may arise for chemical, microbiological and aesthetic parameters and so DWI must keep abreast of all these areas.
The programme as a whole, includes work to support the approval process for chemical and product s in contact with drinking water and projects aimed at better understanding the best practice in drinking in water regulation. Drinking water quality within distribution systems and preparation for the periodic review of water prices are also important topic areas.
Current Research
Information on our full research programme, giving the description, objectives, contractors and costings can be found on the Defra website: under the theme Drinking Water Quality and Health.
Page reviewed: 25 July 2011
Page modified: 5 July 2010