Agricultural water supply

[GuyC]

Looking to get a potable water mains connection to one of our farm buildings, and looking at the map from the water supplier, we have a main which runs to our fields to fill up the troughs etc.
I had previously assumed the mains on our fields is not fit for human consumption, however the pipework is the standard blue MDPE, so it had made me think.
Are all water mains created equal, and can we use this water supply? Or are Agricultural water supplies completely separate from standard domestic supplies.
Many thanks
Guy

 

[upnortheast]

Where does this supply come from. Spring, borehole or mains. Secondly whose pipe is it .yours. someone else or the water company

 

[Nearly]

JFDI

 

[Exfarmer]

All mains water supplied in the UK must be potable! That is why we pay so much compared to many countries.

 

[Goweresque]

Did you really think that the water companies go to the expense of maintaining two entirely separate water mains systems, one for humans and one for non-human use, just so they can sell a few litres to farmers and the like?

 

[GuyC]

Where does this supply come from. Spring, borehole or mains. Secondly whose pipe is it .yours. someone else or the water company

Mains supply and shown on Southwestwater maps, and distributed though PVC blue pipes through our fields. Not sure if they'd include private supply lines on their maps?? (maybe a good place to just ask them!)

 

[GuyC]

All mains water supplied in the UK must be potable! That is why we pay so much compared to many countries.

Hah, this was my thoughts too! - Especially in the Southwest the rates are a bit nuts. I just assumed there may be certain requirements on the connection to mains offshoots, (ie to stop dirty water going back upstream) that may not be required for agricultural supply.

 

[Kidds]

Mains supply and shown on Southwestwater maps, and distributed though PVC blue pipes through our fields. Not sure if they'd include private supply lines on their maps?? (maybe a good place to just ask them!)

Does't the previous owner know and how come the detail wasn't in the deeds/particulars when you bought the place?
Could be mains and the previous owner is paying for your supply, could be you are supplying them and will be getting a bill when they catch up with you. Generally speaking water companies don't know their arse from their elbow and often a waste of time even talking to them.

 

[Nearly]

Mains supply and shown on Southwestwater maps, and distributed though PVC blue pipes through our fields. Not sure if they'd include private supply lines on their maps?? (maybe a good place to just ask them!)

DON'T ask them.
Find the meter. Look at it. Look at your bill.
Read meter. Turn it off, does trough stop running.
Drink.

 

[GuyC]

Did you really think that the water companies go to the expense of maintaining two entirely separate water mains systems, one for humans and one for non-human use, just so they can sell a few litres to farmers and the like?

Haha - quite possibly! - Though it does seem a bit odd on 2nd thoughts. I had assumed there may be more of a distribution quality (ie the type of pipework, connections) rather than actual water quality, that would make it potable.

 

[Ukjay]

Hah, this was my thoughts too! - Especially in the Southwest the rates are a bit nuts. I just assumed there may be certain requirements on the connection to mains offshoots, (ie to stop dirty water going back upstream) that may not be required for agricultural supply.

Actually, farms carry far higher requirements for backflow prevention than domestic properties, as the environmental conditions many farms work in can lead to all sorts of problems if the backflow were able to get into the mains system.

I assume you currently pay via metered water supply to your farm, so does that meter account for the use of said water to troughs, as that would be the starting point for me. Know what is and is not being fed through the meter.

 

[Wombat]

Hah, this was my thoughts too! - Especially in the Southwest the rates are a bit nuts. I just assumed there may be certain requirements on the connection to mains offshoots, (ie to stop dirty water going back upstream) that may not be required for agricultural supply.

They basically say all connections, troughs, bowls etc have to be good enough to stop any water going back upstream

 

[Ukjay]

They basically say all connections, troughs, bowls etc have to be good enough to stop any water going back upstream

Farms are more than likely treated as Fluid Category 5 due to the nature of the business and beasts, where, depending upon who does the site visits, can also bring with it some issues if the water board do not want direct connections to mains.

Quite often mandating Type AA/AB air gaps and separation break tank units, which I often scratch my head at - because a header system has the same air gaps normally, so it basically doubles everything up and is wasteful of materials etc imho, because you use two tanks (the header and the trough for example), valves etc etc.. and the same spillover designs to prevent the possibility of backflow via back pressure or back syphonage.. then sometimes they even want the header break tank modified to add more safety measures (larger overflows, larger weirs etc)..

The mind boggles sometimes.....

 

[Lazy Sod]

If you pay by meter, and the said blue pipe goes from the meter to your troughs, then that is your pipe. Just connect to it.

 

[GuyC]

Does't the previous owner know and how come the detail wasn't in the deeds/particulars when you bought the place?
Could be mains and the previous owner is paying for your supply, could be you are supplying them and will be getting a bill when they catch up with you. Generally speaking water companies don't know their arse from their elbow and often a waste of time even talking to them.

Hah - Have been coming to a very similar conclusion! - They just keep pointing me to maps that dont show anything other than a water pipe going through the land. Good plan to check out the deeds/particulars though, the original larger Farm was split into parts so it looks like its someone else's meter. Same goes for our power supply too (and quite oddly we share a phone line which i haven't yet called to see who picks up!)
Many concern is if the water is potable firstly (which sounds like it is!) and then working out meter use

 

[GuyC]

Actually, farms carry far higher requirements for backflow prevention than domestic properties, as the environmental conditions many farms work in can lead to all sorts of problems if the backflow were able to get into the mains system.

I assume you currently pay via metered water supply to your farm, so does that meter account for the use of said water to troughs, as that would be the starting point for me. Know what is and is not being fed through the meter.

Thats really interesting to know thanks UKjay, though makes alot of sense now thinking about it! - No meter on our land so assuming it is from a branch from the original farm which was split up before we move in.

 

[GuyC]

DON'T ask them.
Find the meter. Look at it. Look at your bill.
Read meter. Turn it off, does trough stop running.
Drink.

Sounds like a plan

 

[onesiedale]

DON'T ask them.
Find the meter. Look at it. Look at your bill.
Read meter. Turn it off, does trough stop running.
Drink.

But it might not have a meter!! It may be a 'field trough supply'. ie a simple standing charge.

In which case just get tee'd into it . Happy days!

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Apparantly we aren’t allowed to T into any existing supplies now.

thames water did not like my idea of getting one big supply and subbing of it privately to cut costs either.

 

[Nearly]

Apparantly we aren’t allowed to T into any existing supplies now.

thames water did not like my idea of getting one big supply and subbing of it privately to cut costs either.

and how will they know?