Private Water Supplies

What is a private water supply?

A private water supply is any water supply which not provided by a statutory water company such as Southern Water. The source of private water supplies is normally a borehole, well or spring. The supply may serve just one property or several properties.

 

What is the law relating to private water supplies?

The Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016 require local authorities to monitor the quality of private water supplies to ensure compliance with the UK drinking water standards. If you are on a private water supply which is shared with others then the supply owner should already be in contact with us for regular testing.

 

Keeping your private water supply safe

If you wish to be assured that your private water supply is safe to drink, we will sample it for you on request. A charge will however be made to cover our sampling costs. We would also be happy to carry out a risk assessment for you and offer advice on ways to protect your supply and/or treatment methods.  See table below to find out what our sampling and related charges are.

Sampling & Related Charges (April 2024 - March 2025)

Activity          

Our Charge                    

Sampling

£79.90 + Laboratory Analysis Costs

Investigation of a water quality failure

Laboratory Analysis Costs where sampling is carried out

 

Additionally, there are various things you can do to protect your water supply from contaminations. These are outlined in the link on the right hand side of this page. 

Further Information?

If you require any further information, please contact:

Environmental Protection Team
Telephone: 01264 368000
Email: envhealth@testvalley.gov.uk