Guidance and codes of practice

The Drinking Water Inspectorate produce guidance notes for regulations and procedures and codes of practice that the water industry must adhere to. A list of current documents can be found below.

The Standing Committee of Analysts (SCA) comprises a series of working groups who provide guidance on methods of sampling and analysis for determining the quality of environmental matrices. Guidance is published as Blue Books within the series Methods for the Examination of Waters and Associated materials. The guidance can be found on the Environment Agency website here.

These documents are in PDF format. The Adobe® Acrobat Reader® can be freely downloaded here.

Year

Title

Regulations

2011

Private water supplies - Provision of alternative supplies in emergency and non-emergency situations (PDF 273KB)

N/A

2011

Private distribution systems (PDF 278KB)

N/A

2011

World Health Organisation - Guidelines for drinking water quality - 4th Edition (PDF 66KB)

N/A

2011

Role and Responsibilities of health protection teams in the Health Protection Agency, local authorities and the Drinking Water Inspectorate in relation to private water supplies (PDF 70KB)

N/A

2011

DWI Approval of Enterolert-DW® Quanti-Tray® method for the determination of Enterococci in drinking waters (PDF 55KB)

N/A

2011

Private distribution systems - interim guidance (PDF 150KB)

N/A

2011

Milking parlours served by a small private supply - interim guidance (PDF 159KB)

N/A

2011

Nitrate and private water supplies (PDF 188KB)

N/A

2010

Rain water harvesting systems - Event in Upton Eco-Housing Development, Northamptonshire, June 2010 (PDF 213KB)

N/A

2010

Guidance on the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 (England)  (PDF 1.29MB)    Published 6 September 2010
As mentioned  in Information letter 09/2010

Here

2010

Guidance on the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2010 (Wales)  (PDF 1.29MB)    Published 6 September 2010
As mentioned  in Information letter 09/2010

Here

2010

Guidance on the regulatory responsibilities associated with inset appointments for public water supplies (PDF 99KB)

N/A

2010

Legislative background to the Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009 (PDF 508KB)

Here

2010

Guidance on the use of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for the disinfection of public water supplies
(PDF 75KB)

N/A

2009

SEMD
Security and Emergency Measures (Water and sewerage undertakers) Direction 1998 - Notification and guidance (PDF 110KB)
Revised guidance issued December 2009

Security and Emergency Measures (Licensed water suppliers) Directions for licensed water suppliers: Notification and guidance (PDF 220KB)
Revised guidance issued December 2009


Here



Here

2009

Guidance on the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000/2001 specific to PFOS (Perfluorooctane Sulphonate) and PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) concentrations in drinking water (PDF 5MB) - Revised 16 October 2009, as mentioned in Information Letter 10/2009

Here

2009

The Water Industry (Suppliers’ Information) Direction 2009 (PDF 148KB)

N/A

2009

Drinking water safety - Guidance to health and water professionals (PDF 5MB)

N/A

2009

Guidance on the Notification of Events - Updated 10 August 2009 (PDF 287KB) 
As mentioned in Information letter 10/2007 and 03/2008

N/A

2009

Guidance on sampling during adverse weather conditions (PDF 42 KB)

N/A

2008

Guidance on the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 specific to N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) concentrations in drinking water. (PDF 79KB)    Published 9 September 2008
As mentioned  in Information letter 9/2008

Here

2005

Guidance on sample and sample extract stability trials (PDF 169KB) and
Guidance on sample preservation ad preparation for metal analysis of drinking water (PDF 102KB) - Issue date 22 August 2005
As mentioned in Information letter 12/2005

N/A

2005

Code of Practice on technical aspects of Fluoridation of water supplies 2005 (PDF 64KB) - Issue date 11 April 2005
as mentioned in Information letter 05/2005

N/A

2005

Guidance on calibration and analytical quality control for residual chlorine measurements (PDF 169KB) - Issue date 24 January 2005
as mentioned in Information letter 03/2005

N/A

2005

A Brief Guide to Drinking Water Safety Plans (PDF 256KB)

N/A

2005

Standard Operating Protocol for the monitoring of Cryptosporidium oocysts in treated water supplies to satisfy the Water Supply (Water Quality) regulations 2000 (England) and 2001 (Wales) (PDF 824KB) - IMPORTANT : this ceased to be effective from December 2007 under the amended 2000 Regulations but was largely maintained by laboratories until the SCA method became available in 2009.

N/A

2004

Common Carriage: Guidance on the drinking water quality aspects (PDF 214KB) - Issue date 24 November 2004
as mentioned in Information letter 13/2004

N/A

1999

Guidance on the interpretation of aspects of analytical quality control (AQC) (PDF 175KB)

N/A

 

 

Page reviewed: 13 April 2010
Page modified: 8 December 2011

Drinking Water Inspectorate