Welsh Water, water supply issues

[Happiness]

Hi. We are on a water meter. Water meter is 0.3miles away from the boundary of our property with other water meters and pipes. Not every property from that area of water supply is on a meter, so as long as the water keeps flowing they are happy. Our bills were huge when we had the animals on it, so we put a borehole in and it significantly reduced our bills back in 2017 or so that was done. We have a couple of holiday let's as well as the farmhouse and that's all that uses the water now. Even pressure washing on the yard is done from the borehole, so it's just house use now. We have had the quietest year ever so far in the cottages so there have just been the 4 of us using the water. This year our water use has exponentially grown from 140litres per person to 310 per person (and rising). There is no logical explanation for this other than a leak somewhere on the 0.3miles (of land that is both highway and fields that are not ours) or that the utility company has inadvertently teed off our water supply to supply other properties not on water meters. The exponential rise coincides with lots of work the utility companies have been doing over the past few months along the area where our pipe is. I can see this being a bit of an issue. We are looking into further developing the borehole so that it is suitable for household use and will then turn the main water meter tap off. but in the meantime what can we do? I know the rules are different as we are classed as a commercial supply, so Welsh Water not as obligated as if it were a private water supply (apparently). Is there anything I should be doing now such as getting a land agent involved? The other issue is, this area of water supply has historically had so many issues. There was a leak for years which in the end as they couldn't find it, they just tarmaced a pipe with the leak into one of our bottom fields (which is already wet anyway). Just getting fed up with it. Looking at the meter, it does stop and start, which would suggest there is no leak, so my gut feeling is, all the different contractors who come in have tapped into our water pipe and someone else who isn't metered is getting the water that we are paying for. Anyone have any links or info on this? I've looked at OFWAT but cannot find anything relevant to the supply of farmhouses.

 

[Happiness]

Just to add, we have a chap booked in on Saturday. So will know more then, but would rather be armed with knowledge of where we stand.

 

[melted welly]

Could you pop up to the meter and turn off the stop cock then wait and see who complains?

 

[Happiness]

Could you pop up to the meter and turn off the stop cock then wait and see who complains?

Yes that's one of our ideas to do as soon as we are able, but as it's half term, the holiday let's are full so cannot turn their water off. Then we have people in back to back for weeks. Changeover day we could do it for a few hours. Not long enough really.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

There us a water pipe company in haverfordwest who specialise in water mains, maybe they could help

 

[melted welly]

Yes that's one of our ideas to do as soon as we are able, but as it's half term, the holiday let's are full so cannot turn their water off. Then we have people in back to back for weeks. Changeover day we could do it for a few hours. Not long enough really.

Maybe best to play the long game and get a couple of clear days to do it. If there is another consumer tapped in to your supply freeloading, it would be easier to get them to drop themselves in the shite rather than pre warning them if you see what I mean.

 

[GEMS]

When convenient to you turn the water off.
Visit all suspecting properties and say i've lost water is yours on ?? unless they are knowingly taking your water i'm sure you'd get an honest reply...........

 

[Happiness]

When convenient to you turn the water off.
Visit all suspecting properties and say i've lost water is yours on ?? unless they are knowingly taking your water i'm sure you'd get an honest reply...........

Yes, I don't think it has necessary been done maliciously (but who knows?). I am more inclined to think it's contractors making errors. They (Welsh Water) are supposedly only responsible up to the water meters, yet, they work beyond the water meters near to where our pipes are. I can see a big dig and gravel been put back right where our pipe goes along the hedge. It's a bit of a mess and they haven't got their maps sorted. I'm looking forward to being able to turn the tap off at the supply and be done with it.

 

[Still Farming]

Update issued on 'significant' pollution incident near popular beach

Welsh Water is trying to pinpoint the source of the leak

www.walesonline.co.uk

 

[Goweresque]

There is no logical explanation for this other than a leak somewhere on the 0.3miles (of land that is both highway and fields that are not ours) or that the utility company has inadvertently teed off our water supply to supply other properties not on water meters.

Surely if the water co had recently tee'd off your pipe to a new property then it would be a metered supply? No water co allows a new build to have an unmetered supply nowadays. And any supply that is rateable must have been in place for donkey's years,

How many properties do you think could potentially be connected to your supply?

This year our water use has exponentially grown from 140litres per person to 310 per person (and rising)

310 litres per person per what? Day, week, Month? I do bills for a number of properties and the absolute minimum would be 20m3/person/yr (single person, no gardening, no car washing). Most are around the 50m3/person/yr.

 

[Happiness]

Surely if the water co had recently tee'd off your pipe to a new property then it would be a metered supply? No water co allows a new build to have an unmetered supply nowadays. And any supply that is rateable must have been in place for donkey's years,

How many properties do you think could potentially be connected to your supply?



310 litres per person per what? Day, week, Month? I do bills for a number of properties and the absolute minimum would be 20m3/person/yr (single person, no gardening, no car washing). Most are around the 50m3/person/yr.

Per day according to the graph on our account. Not a new property, historically there are issues with non metered properties at the bottom of the valley that is being supplied at the top. Our neighbours in the past have discussed this with me. They have refused to be metered and I presume Welsh water don't want to start organizing new meters and putting new way leaves with different landowners. At the top there are manhole covers with water supplies, some metered and a couple where there are no meters, but the pipework from where the meters are, are not mapped out properly. There is a historic leak which has been going for 10 years before it was fixed. There was a meter going like the clappers for years and Welsh water did not know who it was supplying. There are always contractors back and forth from the site, different ones and none of them seem to know what's going on with the water supply there, we always get different contractors knock on our door asking questions. We have been monitoring the meter every day since we found our our usage sky rocketed and it has been going up 4 units every day. Each unit I think is 1000ltrs. We have spoken to the lady who lives next to the meter and she said different contractors have been coming and going for the past couple of months digging holes everywhere and commenting on leaks here and there. The neighbours at the bottom, who are not metered have been having issues with their water supply. Now, it seems to be all working again for everyone. You can see where they have been digging, and the increase coincides with the timings of their work. Not sure exactly how many properties are not metered, maybe 4.

 

[Goweresque]

Per day according to the graph on our account. Not a new property, historically there are issues with non metered properties at the bottom of the valley that is being supplied at the top. Our neighbours in the past have discussed this with me. They have refused to be metered and I presume Welsh water don't want to start organizing new meters and putting new way leaves with different landowners. At the top there are manhole covers with water supplies, some metered and a couple where there are no meters, but the pipework from where the meters are, are not mapped out properly. There is a historic leak which has been going for 10 years before it was fixed. There was a meter going like the clappers for years and Welsh water did not know who it was supplying. There are always contractors back and forth from the site, different ones and none of them seem to know what's going on with the water supply there, we always get different contractors knock on our door asking questions. We have been monitoring the meter every day since we found our our usage sky rocketed and it has been going up 4 units every day. Each unit I think is 1000ltrs. We have spoken to the lady who lives next to the meter and she said different contractors have been coming and going for the past couple of months digging holes everywhere and commenting on leaks here and there. The neighbours at the bottom, who are not metered have been having issues with their water supply. Now, it seems to be all working again for everyone. You can see where they have been digging, and the increase coincides with the timings of their work. Not sure exactly how many properties are not metered, maybe 4.

What I don't understand is if your meter is 500m away, presumably thats where the closest water company pipe is. Yet you say there are loads of unmetered supplies closer to you than 500m, the supply pipes to which must be the responsibility of the water company, so why is your supply coming from so far away? If they've got a pipe going by your property to someone else on a water rate why can't you just be connected to that supply, with a meter at the roadside?

140 litres per person per day is about 50m3/person/yr so that is ballpark right. 310 litres/person/day is over 110m3/person/yr which is extremely extravagant water usage. But if the meter does stop and doesn't run constantly, it doesn't sound like a leak, it sounds like other people are using your water.

Have any of the properties locally changed hand recently? Have new owners come in, say a couple replacing a single old person, anything like that?

 

[Happiness]

There are unmetered supplies right by the water supply and further on down the valley past our farm. They are even further away from the supply point than us. Not sure why we have a meter and others don't. Yes, the fact that the meter stops and starts is why I'm thinking we are dealing with tapping rather than a leak. Wish me luck in sorting

 

[Lakesdigger]

There are unmetered supplies right by the water supply and further on down the valley past our farm. They are even further away from the supply point than us. Not sure why we have a meter and others don't. Yes, the fact that the meter stops and starts is why I'm thinking we are dealing with tapping rather than a leak. Wish me luck in sorting

Fit you're own meter near to you're properties so you know it can only be your usage beyond that point might be an idea, at least that way you can rule out your own usage and gives you more to go at them with. It'll rule out their first line of excuses in any case.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

There are unmetered supplies right by the water supply and further on down the valley past our farm. They are even further away from the supply point than us. Not sure why we have a meter and others don't. Yes, the fact that the meter stops and starts is why I'm thinking we are dealing with tapping rather than a leak. Wish me luck in sorting

Tap into the un metered supply job sorted!

 

[devonbeef]

There are unmetered supplies right by the water supply and further on down the valley past our farm. They are even further away from the supply point than us. Not sure why we have a meter and others don't. Yes, the fact that the meter stops and starts is why I'm thinking we are dealing with tapping rather than a leak. Wish me luck in sorting

why not buy 500m of pipe put it over land at mo, dig by meter connect temp pipe up stright to your property, see who squeaks then

 

[Headless chicken]

What I don't understand is if your meter is 500m away, presumably thats where the closest water company pipe is. Yet you say there are loads of unmetered supplies closer to you than 500m, the supply pipes to which must be the responsibility of the water company, so why is your supply coming from so far away? If they've got a pipe going by your property to someone else on a water rate why can't you just be connected to that supply, with a meter at the roadside?

140 litres per person per day is about 50m3/person/yr so that is ballpark right. 310 litres/person/day is over 110m3/person/yr which is extremely extravagant water usage. But if the meter does stop and doesn't run constantly, it doesn't sound like a leak, it sounds like other people are using your water.

Have any of the properties locally changed hand recently? Have new owners come in, say a couple replacing a single old person, anything like that?

We have a similar situation where we own the pipe supplying dad’s property but it also loops back up to a neighbours property but we’re responsible for this pipe too. It’s a bit of a shitter really

 

[Happiness]

So have an update. A bit crappy really. Stop cock in field turned off, and the meter further up stopped, so it appears to be a leak our side of the stop cock. Welsh water then walked away and wished us luck... So we have dug the pipe other side of the road in neighbours field entrance and drilled up a horizontal trench all over our lovely concrete drive....We have ascertained the leak is under the highway... At least we appear to have found it.

 

[Happiness]

So have an update. A bit crappy really. Stop cock in field turned off, and the meter further up stopped, so it appears to be a leak our side of the stop cock. Welsh water then walked away and wished us luck... So we have dug the pipe other side of the road in neighbours field entrance and drilled up a horizontal trench all over our lovely concrete drive....We have ascertained the leak is under the highway... At least we appear to have found it.

Oh and obviously have found the pipe in our drive as well. So we clamped the pipe on our entrance and water meter was still turning. Losing about 3 litres a minute