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Regulations for public water supplies

The primary legislative powers in Northern Ireland, which put in place the United Kingdom water quality requirements of the European Commission (EC) Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC), are contained in the Water and Sewage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.

The current European Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC) was published on the 25 December 1998. The Directive sets standards for drinking water including requirements for monitoring of those standards.

The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (SR 246)Opens in new window. came into operation on 15 July 2009 and amend The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007 (SR 147)Opens in new window., operational since 1 April 2007.

These Regulations implement the Drinking Water Directive requirements and replace:

  • The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 (SR 331)
  • The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (SR 369)

The regulations aim to protect public health by ensuring that drinking water is 'wholesome and clean'. Wholesomeness is defined by setting standards for 51 parameters. Of these, 9 have been allocated as national requirements and 12 are described as indicator parameters.

A copy of the regulations can be obtained from the Office of Public Sector InformationOpens in new window..

An unofficial consolidated version, The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (NI) 2007 as amended by SR2009/246 Opens in new window., is based on The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007 (SR No.147) and takes on board the amendments made by the Water Supply (Water Quality) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (SR No. 246). This is an unofficial document with no legal status, however it should provide a useful working document for interested parties.

The Surface Waters (Abstraction for Drinking Water) (Classification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

The Surface Waters (Abstraction for Drinking Water) Regulations (NI) 1996 aims to set standards for the quality of surface water to be used as sources of public water supply.

These regulations are now incorporated in text under The Water Quality Regulations and are implemented by the Department of Regional Development. The responsibility of the Inspectorate is to check that treatment processes are in place, which aim to meet the standards contained in the Water Quality Regulations.