Private water supply

A private water supply is any water supply which is not provided by a water company (water undertaker). It includes water which originates from places such as boreholes, wells, springs, lakes, roof tanks. It also includes water that originates from mains but is then distributed to other premises by the original bill payer.

Private water supplies are subject to the following legislation:

• The Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016

• The Private Water Supplies (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2018.

Under the Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016 and the subsequent 2018 amendment, West Suffolk Council has duties. We must monitor all private water supplies and risk assess all private water supplies which come under Regulations 8, 9 and 10 (shared). There are also duties which apply to Relevant Persons, as defined by the regulations.

Relevant Persons are specified in Part 1, Regulation 2 of the above regulations. They can be anyone who exercises powers of management or control in relation to a supply, although, typically, it refers to the supply owner or person acting on behalf of the owner.

Regulation 8 supplies are those where mains water is distributed by the bill payer to other premises; therefore, consumers are using water provided by someone other than the water company.

Regulation 9 supplies are large domestic supplies, supplying on average more than 10 cubic metres (m³) of water per day or supplies which are commercial or public. Commercial use includes temporary events like fairgrounds, serving food premises for production, as well as providing domestic water to tenanted homes and holiday rentals. Commercial use applies even where the commercial element is only a single small airbnb or a single tenanted house. Public use includes, for example, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, village halls, libraries and so on. 

Regulation 10 supplies cover all other private water supplies not under Regulation 8 or 9. These use an average daily volume of water less than 10m³ and do not supply water for commercial or public activities. These can be referred to as Regulation 10 (shared) supplies.

Supplies serving only one home that is not part of a public or commercial activity are classed as Regulation 10 supplies, but these do not usually require risk assessments or monitoring by way of routine sampling unless requested by the supply owner. These can be referred to as a Regulation 10 (single dwelling). We may contact Regulation 10 (single dwelling) owners to obtain information about supplies from time to time. This is to fulfil our duty to monitor all supplies and because, under Schedule 4 of the Regulations, West Suffolk Council keeps specific records of all private water supplies in its area.

If you are unsure about the type of private water supply you own or are drinking from, or have any concerns or questions, you can contact us at environment@westsuffolk.gov.uk 

Risk assessments and monitoring

Local authorities have a duty to risk assess private water supplies and monitor these supplies for contamination. This is because it is our responsibility to make sure that private water supplies are fit for human consumption and domestic purposes such as cooking and washing.

Where any private water supply intended for human consumption constitutes a potential danger to human health, local authorities have a duty to serve a Regulation 18 Notice to any Relevant Person. This is a legal document that means that the private water supply is either restricted or prohibited entirely until such measures are put into place to make the supply safe. The duty to make the supply safe falls to any Relevant Persons named on the notice.

Risk assessments

Risk assessments must be carried out at least every five years or sooner where necessary on Regulation 8, 9 and 10 (shared) supplies. 

Risk assessments document the supply, detailing the source, treatments and distribution all the way through to the tap to ascertain risk factors. We use the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s risk assessment tool to calculate the overall risk of a supply and ensure that corrective actions are carried out to lower risks. A robust risk assessment process is key in proactive management of a supply. Therefore, West Suffolk Council places an onus on Relevant Persons carrying out corrective actions on receipt of a risk assessment rather than solely on receipt of a sampling failure. 

Regulation 6 states that the duty to risk assess is the local authority’s and, as such, we will contact you when the risk assessment is due. You will need to prepare information relating to the supply ahead of the visit and provide access to all parts of the supply. The risk assessment will then detail necessary improvements and recommendations, for which the local authority will require evidence of completion.   

Sampling

The local authority has a duty to monitor private water supplies within is area. The sampling frequency and type is dependent on the size and nature of the supply and is set out in the regulations. Regulation 9 supplies may be sampled several times a year, while Regulation 10 (shared) and Regulation 8 supplies may be sampled as little as once every five years, depending on the risk assessment outcome. 

Samples from single dwelling Regulation 10 supplies are not routinely carried out but can be requested by the supply owner. If you would like to enquire about requesting a risk assessment or sampling, please contact environment@westsuffolk.gov.uk 

The Regulations set our strict conditions for monitoring private water supplies. As the local authority has the duty for monitoring, sampling and analysis for this purpose in West Suffolk, it must be carried out by our accredited contractor at our arrangement. 

Costs

The local authority is permitted to recover its costs for the running of this regulatory service. It cannot make a profit. The fees that West Suffolk Council may charge are detailed in Schedule 5 of The Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016 (as amended). For more information, please visit Drinking Water Inspectorate - Information note on Regulation 21 

Fees and charging 2026

An admininstration fee of £40 is charged per supply visit for risk assessment and sampling. This is in addition to other charges for the service, which are listed below. 

Risk assessments are charged per officer hour. At the time that a risk assessment becomes due, Relevant Persons will be contacted and the information required will be requested well ahead of time. Risk assessments are broken down into time on and off site, and it is the off-site work that is more time consuming, particularly where information has not been provided by Relevant Persons. To keep costs down, you should provide the requested information before or at the time of the onsite visit stage of the risk assessment.

Sampling costs are the combined cost of the physical sampling visit, transportation and analysis of samples. All sampling visits cost £99 plus the cost of analysis which is individual to the supply. The £99 is inclusive of physical sampling and transportation of samples to the laboratory.

The only time a sampling visit may exceed £99 is when a sample has been taken that is outside of routine sampling. Our contractor plans its sampling routine by grouping supplies geographically, allowing it to maximise the number of samples taken per day. When an urgent resample is necessary and that supply’s area is not due to be visited for several months, the contractor may travel specifically to that supply. This would reduce the number of samples taken in a day and therefore a higher cost may be applied. West Suffolk Council and its contractor will always endeavour to fit resampling into existing planned routes to minimise costs. 

The analysis is the total cost of individual tests and varies from supply to supply, depending on the requirements of the regulations and supply risk assessment outcome. The following table shows the cost of analysis (these exclude any additional parameters specified in the risk assessment) from 2026:

Investigations, as required under Regulation 16, must be carried out by the local authority when it suspects a supply is unwholesome or an indicator parameter does not comply with the concentration value prescribed by the regulations. The local authority is permitted to charge for investigations and, as such, West Suffolk Council may seek to cover costs by charging per officer hour for investigating this. This will include time taken to collate and analyse previous sampling data as well as time taken to correspond with Relevant Persons (as defined by the regulations), and relevant bodies. These include the Drinking Water Inspectorate and The UK Health Security Agency, which may be contacted to ascertain risks and likely outcomes which, in turn, inform the local authority’s decision on whether to serve a Regulation 18 or Section 80 Notice. The investigation charge may also cover the time taken to draw up, serve, monitor or revoke any resulting notices that result from a Regulation 16 investigation. 

VAT is not applicable to this service.
For more a more detailed estimate of costs relevant to your supply, please email environment@westsuffolk.gov.uk

Please see our Privacy notice for private water supply for more information.