Tag: drinking water

‘Scotland’s tap water is first class – but we need to make sure it stays that way’

Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland’s annual report

The Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) for Scotland’s latest annual report shows that Scottish Water’s compliance with the stringent standards for drinking water remains very high, although continued investment is needed to ensure it stays that way in the face of a number of challenges.

Matt Bower, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator said: “Our drinking water in Scotland is amongst the finest in the world; however, ageing water treatment assets and changing source water quality mean that we cannot take this for granted.

“We must ensure that the scale and pace of investment in the maintenance and replacement of water assets is sufficient to safeguard the consistently high quality of our drinking water for future generations.”

  • The report, covering Drinking Water Quality in Scotland during 2023, states that a total of 272,017 regulatory tests were carried out on Scotland’s drinking water last year. Of those tests on samples taken to represent quality at consumers’ taps, 99.88% met the required standards. A direct comparison with previous years is not possible due to changes in the numbers and locations of samples.
  • The quality of water leaving water treatment works and treated water storage points, while still high, showed a slight deterioration in compliance with the standards on the previous year.
  • The number of water quality incidents requiring detailed investigation by the DWQR during 2023 was 29, a very similar figure to previous years.
  • A full copy of Drinking Water Quality in Scotland 2023 is available at www.dwqr.org.uk

Protecting Scotland’s drinking water

New rules to align with European Union standards

Powers passed by MSPs to help deal with the impact of Brexit are being used for the first time to ensure Scotland’s high quality drinking water aligns with standards set by the European Union.

The new regulations will be laid in the Scottish Parliament on Monday 31 October and should come into force from 1 January 2023 to tie in with the new monitoring year.

The EU Continuity Act 2020 ensures that Scotland can maintain and advance the high standards shared between devolved Scots and EU law, irrespective of the consequences of the UK’s exit from the European Union.

New regulations being laid under the Act this week will adhere to updated standards set by the World Health Organisation that limit emerging pollutants and endocrine disrupting compounds.

Such pollutants include PFAs which are better known as ‘forever chemicals’ and are commonly used in non-stick and water repellent products and do not degrade when they reach the environment. 

Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson said: “Scotland’s drinking water is renowned for its excellent quality all over the world and we will be relentless in ensuring it stays this way and meets the highest of standards.

“These latest steps we are taking, to maintain those standards, are a prime example of our commitment to re-join the EU and align with its policies. Through such action, we will continue to protect the health and wellbeing of people in Scotland and also ease the future process of Scotland’s return to the EU. 

“This is in stark contrast to the approach being taken by the UK Government, intent on undermining retained EU law which will be hugely damaging to people and businesses in Scotland.  

“We’re determined to continue to be an active and constructive participant on EU matters, which will ease the process of Scotland’s future return to the EU.”