Improvements to source protection for private water supplies in Scotland, UK

Private water supplies are defined as any water supply which is not provided by a statutory water undertaker and in which the responsibility for its maintenance lies with the owner or person who uses the supply. In Scotland around 60,000 people rely on such supplies from which they will be receiving water subject to either limited or no statutory requirement for quality sampling. Further, while 60,000 is the resident population, a large number of people attending campsites, hotels, guesthouses or using food outlets will be exposed to private supplies for transitory periods of time. Of greatest concern is the threat of microbial contamination resulting in an increased threat to public health. In an effort to improve the microbiological quality of the drinking water from private supplies a microbiological risk assessment protocol was developed to enhance the source protection of such supplies. This paper details the development of this protocol.