The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 are regulations imposed on the
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
Water industry
The water industry provides drinking water and wastewater services (including sewage treatment) to residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of the economy. Typically public utilities operate water supply networks. The water industry doe ...
by
Statutory Instrument.
The regulations were signed jointly by
Michael Meacher
Michael Hugh Meacher (4 November 1939 – 21 October 2015) was a British politician who served as a government minister under Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Blair. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for ...
,
and
Jon Owen Jones
Jonathan Owen Jones (born 19 April 1954) is a Welsh politician. He was the Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central from 1992 to 2005. He was then an unsuccessful candidate for Change UK in Wales at the 2019 Europea ...
,
Parliamentary Under-
Secretary of State for Wales
The secretary of state for Wales ( cy, ysgrifennydd gwladol Cymru), also referred to as the Welsh secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Wales Office. The incumbent is a member ...
.
Arrangement
The Regulations are divided into three parts and a further three Schedules are attached
Parts
Part I defines terms used and defines the scope of the regulations.
Part II specifies the requirements for water fittings; restrictions on the installation of water fittings; certification to be issued and notifications to be given.
Part III deals with enforcement, penalties, tests and disputes.
Schedules
Schedule 1 categorizes water into five categories for ''wholesomeness'', while schedule 2 provides further explanation of terms used within the body of the regulations. Schedule 3 revokes previous water byelaws.
Fluid category 1
Wholesome water supplied by a
water undertaker and complying with the requirements of regulations made under
section 67 of the
Water Industry Act 1991
The Water Industry Act 1991 (c. 56) is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament consolidating previous enactments relating to the water supply and the provision of wastewater services in England and Wales. It further implemented recommendations of ...
.
Fluid category 2
Water in fluid category 1 whose aesthetic quality is impaired owing to:
:a) a change in its temperature, or
:b) the presence of substances or
organism
In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and ...
s causing a change in its taste, odour or appearance, including water in a
hot water distribution system.
Fluid category 3
Fluid which represents a slight health hazard because of the concentration of substances of low toxicity, including any fluid which contains:
:a)
ethylene glycol
Ethylene glycol (IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an organic compound (a vicinal diol) with the formula . It is mainly used for two purposes, as a raw material in the manufacture of polyester fibers and for antifreeze formulations. It is an odo ...
,
copper sulphate Copper sulfate may refer to:
* Copper(II) sulfate, CuSO4, a common compound used as a fungicide and herbicide
* Copper(I) sulfate
Copper(I) sulfate, also known as cuprous sulfate, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Cu2 SO4. I ...
solution or similar chemical additives, or
:b)
sodium hypochlorite
Sodium hypochlorite (commonly known in a dilute solution as bleach) is an inorganic chemical compound with the formula NaOCl (or NaClO), comprising a sodium cation () and a hypochlorite anion (or ). It may also be viewed as the sodium s ...
(common in
disinfectants).
Fluid category 4
Fluid which represents a significant health hazard because of the concentration of toxic substances, including any fluid which contains:
:a) chemical,
carcinogenic
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive subs ...
substances or pesticides (including
insecticides
Insecticides are substances used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and by consumers. Insecticides are claimed t ...
and
herbicides), or
:b) environmental organisms of potential health significance.
Fluid category 5
Fluid representing a serious health hazard because of the concentration of pathogenic organisms, radioactive or very toxic substances, including any fluid which contains:
:a)
faecal material or other human waste;
:b)
butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...
y or other animal waste; or
:c)
pathogens
In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a ger ...
from any other source.
References
* Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, HMSO
External links
The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999at legislation.gov.uk
Statutory Instruments of the United Kingdom
Water supply and sanitation in England and Wales
1999 in British law
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