Private Water Supplies
Private water supplies are any supplies of water provided by any supplier who is not a public supplier, notably Northern Ireland Water.
In Northern Ireland less than one per cent of water comes from private water supplies.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate is responsible for the implementation of the Private Water Supplies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994 and is helped in this role by the Environmental Health departments of the district councils.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also plays an important role.
The regulations apply to private supplies that serve more than one household for purely domestic purposes, or are used in commercial food production.
Commercial food production includes making, processing, preserving, preparing, or marketing, of food or drink (including water) for sale for human consumption.
The Inspectorate holds a register of private water supplies that come under the Private Water Supplies Regulations. These are categorized into one of ten classes according to size, nature, and use of the private water supply.
A monitoring programme, for private water supplies based on these classifications, is in place.
For details on current private water supplies and a summary of the drinking water quality of these supplies look at the annual reports produced by the Drinking Water Inspectorate.
To register a new private water supply, please complete and return the registration form(.PDF 117.42Kb)
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If you have any queries concerning your private water supply, contact the Drinking Water Inspectorate or the Environmental Health department of your local council.
