Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989

Water Supply Water Quality Regulations 1989
Statutory Instrument
	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Citation	SI 1989/3184
Text of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

Last updated January 16, 2024

The Water Supply Water Quality Regulations 1989^[1] (SI No. 1147) are regulations imposed on the England and Wales Water industry by statutory instrument. The regulations were signed jointly by Peter Walker, Secretary of State for Wales and Michael Howard who, as Minister for Water and Planning, was responsible for implementing water privatization in England and Wales during 1988/89. Most of the measures came into force on 1 September 1989, and the rest on 1 January 1990. The regulations have been superseded by several later instruments.

Revocation

The 1989 regulations were revoked in England by the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (SI 2000/3184) and in Wales by the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (SI 2001/3911).^[2]^[3] Further changes were made by the Water Industry Act 1991.^[4]

Wholesomeness

Schedule 2 of the regulations prescribes concentrations for substances that affect wholesomeness .

Table A

Table A Parameters	Units of Measurement	Value (Max)
Aluminium	μg Al/litre (l)	200
Ammonium (ammonia and ammonium ions)	mg NH₄/litre	0.5
Colour	mg/1 Pt/Co scale	20
Copper	μg Cu/L	3000
Dissolved or emulsified hydrocarbons ( extract with petroleum ether); mineral oils	μg/L	10
Dry residues	mg/l	1500 dry at 180 °C
Fluoride	μg F/L	1500
Hydrogen ion	pH value	9.5 - 5.5(min)
Iron	μg Fe/L	200
Kjeldahl nitrogen	mg N/L	1
Magnesium	mg Mg/L	50
Manganese	μg Mn/L	50
Nitrate	mg NO₃/litre	50
Nitrite	mg NO₂/litre	0.1
Odour (including hydrogen sulphide)	Dilution number	3 at 25 °C
Oxidizability (permanganate value)	mg O₂/litre	5
Phenols	μg C₆H₅OH/litre	0.5
Phosphorus	μg P/L	2200
Potassium	mg K/L	12
Silver	μg Ag/L	10 (80 If used in treatment process)
Sodium	mg Na/L	150(*)
Sulphate	mg SO₄/litre	250
Surfactants	μg/L (as lauryl sulphate)	200
Taste	Dilution number	3 at 25 °C
Temperature	°C	25
Total organic carbon	mg C/L	No higher than normal
Turbidity (including suspended solids)	Formazin turbidity units	4
Zinc	μg Zn/L	5000

Table B

Table B Parameters	Units of Measurement	Value (Max)
Antimony	μg Sb/L	10
Arsenic	μg As/L	50
Cadmium	μg Cd/L	5
Cyanide	μg CN/L	50
Chromium	μg Cr/L	50
Mercury	μg Hg/L	1
Nickel	μg Ni/L	50
Lead	μg Pb/L	25
Pesticides (individual substances)	μg/L	0.1
Pesticides (total substances)	μg/L	0.5
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(i)	μg/L	0.2
Selenium	μg Se/L	10

(i) The sum of the detected concentrations of fluoranthene, benzo 3.4 fluoranthene, benzo 11.12 fluoranthene, benzo 3.4 pyrene, benzo 1.12 perylene and indeno (1,2,3-cd) pyrene.

Table C

Table C Parameters	Units of Measurement	Value (Max)
Total coliforms	number/100 mL	0
Faecal coliforms	number/100 mL	0
Faecal streptococci	number/100 mL	0
Sulphite-reducing clostridia	number/20 mL	<=1(ii)
Colony counts	number/1 mL at 22 °C or 37 °C	No significant increase over that normally observed

Table D

Table D Parameters	Units of Measurement	Value (Max)
Barium	μg Ba/L	1000
Benzo 3,4 pyrene	ng/L	10
Boron	μg B/L	2000
Calcium	mg Ca/L	250
Chloride	mg Cl/L	400
Conductivity	μS/cm	1500 at 20 °C
Substances extractable in chloroform	mg/L dry residue	1
Tetrachloroethene	μg/L	10
Tetrachloromethane	μg/L	3
Trichloroethene	μg/L	30

Table E

Table E Parameters	Units of Measurement	Value (Min)
Total hardness	mg Ca/l	60
Alkalinity	mg HCO₃/ litre	30

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References

↑ "Statutory Instrument 1989 No. 1147". The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989. legislation.gov.uk. 6 July 1989. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
↑ "Consultation on the draft Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016". GOV.UK. DEFRA. February 2016. p. 6. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
↑ "Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations SI 1989/1147". cedrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
↑ "Water Industry Act 1991". legislation.gov.uk. 25 July 1991. Retrieved 15 March 2023.

External links

"Statutory Instrument 2000 No. 3184". The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000. legislation.gov.uk. 4 December 2000. Retrieved 26 June 2009. – later legislation

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[opsi-si-1147-1] "Statutory Instrument 1989 No. 1147". The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989. legislation.gov.uk. 6 July 1989. Retrieved 26 June 2009.

[2] "Consultation on the draft Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016". GOV.UK. DEFRA. February 2016. p. 6. Retrieved 15 March 2023.

[3] "Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations SI 1989/1147". cedrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2023.

[4] "Water Industry Act 1991". legislation.gov.uk. 25 July 1991. Retrieved 15 March 2023.

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