Private water supplies

We installed a bore hole in 2012. It is 220 meters deep and draws the water from the chalk under London. We have no mains water on the farm, nearest main is 1/2 a mile away.
We supply drinking water to 4 of our own properties, none of which have access to the mains supply.
The Council have recently tested the water. There is no contamination at all, BUT, the Sodium level is 210 mg/Lt ( max aloud = 200). The Fluoride level is 2.8 mg/Lt (max aloud = 1.4). Both are naturally occurring from the chalk aquifer.
We are required by the local authority to rectify the problem. The estimate for the work is over £22,000. Seems a lot to take out 10 mg/lt of sodium and 1.4 mg/lt of Fluoride.
I don’t think we have a choice. Probably cheaper to connect to the mains.
Does anyone have any experience with this?

JJT said:

What they gonna do if you don't?

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They have the power to enforce the law and require us to put in the necessary treatment plant. By the way the water is already filtered and treated with UV for bacteria removal. Not that it is required. In these days of litigation if you are providing water to tenants, as in this case, it has to comply with the European safe drinking water standards. If anyone was to become ill I think we could be on thin ice.

betweenthelines said:

Get a sample of mains water tested-chances are it'll be worse

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Good point, I have wondered that myself. After all they test it at source, it then had to travel miles through water pipes to get to the consumer. Perhaps I’ll do that.

Steevo said:

Is it the same whether for:

- own use?
- provided to tenants of own properties?
- sold to third parties?

How long do you have to put the necessary works in place to rectify the issue?

Does it work like TB tests - you need a test every 6 months or so, but if you fail you then have retests every month or so until sorted?

Must be a right headache for you to have had this issue occur.



Is the water quality based on "at source" then? So a water company can have good water and a dodgy set of pipes full of bugs and that's considered ok?

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As far as I understand it, it’s the same whether for own use or for tenants or sold to third parties.
I have until the end of February to comply but will have to ask for an extension. I don’t know whether they will grant it though.
The water is tested annually. The crazy thing is that the authority got in a muddle with its paper work for about 15 years and we didn’t see them at all. They realised and employed a consultant who discovered we weren’t connected to the mains and came visiting with clip boards and threatening behaviour. We then received a Regulation 18 notice which tells us in no uncertain terms that the water is unhealthy and a serious risk to human health. We were told to provide an alternative supply for drinking immediately and to display the notice in all properties and to all tenants. This was last September. We instructed the company who installed our current filtration system to put a plan together immediately but it’s taken a long time. It is particularly difficult and expensive to remove Sodium and Fluoride.
Our water is tested at the tap. The mains water is tested at source, but I assume they must test it at various points in the network as well.