The York Waterworks Plc supplies drinking water to about 177,000 people in the City of York and the surrounding area. The Company's water supplies are derived entirely from the River Ouse. The Company has one treatment works and distributes water through a network of 957km of pipes and six service reservoirs.
Each year the water companies are inspected. The 1995 inspection found that the Company's arrangements for sampling, analysis and reporting arrangements were generally very good and that treatment processes were generally satisfactory. Progress with the improvement programme was found to be satisfactory but the deadline is tight. Four recommendations for improvements in practices were made.
The quality of water supplied by the Company in 1995 has been generally very good. 99.4% of the 8,051 tests performed by the Company met the standards - the tests were largely made on samples taken from consumers' taps. Of the 0.6% of tests that did not meet the standards, eight were for coliform bacteria. Each time these bacteria were detected the cause was investigated and any problems identified were corrected. The only other significant failure to meet the standards was for pesticides. The Company is carrying out an improvement programme for pesticides.
The graph above shows good water quality over the past five years. The Company, as it must, plans to improve the water quality even further. The Company has given a legally binding commitment to take steps to remove pesticides from the water. Traces of pesticides can enter water sources and the Company is installing treatment to remove them by 31 December 1996. The Company is continuing its ongoing programme of flushing the distribution system to ensure the levels of iron, which arise from old water mains, are kept to a minimum.
Further Information
If you want more detailed information about the quality of the drinking water in your local area please contact the Company. Their telephone number is 01904 622171. | 
