| Advice About Drinking Untreated Water | 11 October 2006 |
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New regulations require local Authorities to carry out testing of private water supplies to make sure that they are safe. In either case, grants of up to £800.00 per premises are available to improve the supply and make sure it is safe to drink. The vast majority of Private Water supplies in the Western Isles are from surface waters including lochs, rivers and streams. Some of the supplies are referred to as wells or springs, but the source of the water is usually from the surface. The main danger from this is contamination by animals and birds. The Director of Public Health for the Western Isles, Dr Sheila Scott advises that some of the micro-organisms that can be present in untreated drinking water can pose an immediate risk to health, especially to vulnerable groups such as the very young or the elderly. In some cases serious long-term illness, such as kidney disease, can occur. The presence of such organisms in drinking water has, in some cases, resulted in death. In addition the presence of chemical contamination may lead to an increased risk of serious health effects over a period of time. Similar risks, especially from micro-organisms, are present from drinking water from any untreated source when out and about walking or camping in the countryside. The advice is not to drink any untreated water unless it has been boiled for at least one minute or treated with water purifications tablets. All operators or users of private water supplies in the Western Isles will shortly be getting an information pack produced by the Scottish Executive giving information about the new Regulations and the available grants. Nigel Scott Tel: 01851 709389 (Work) |
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