The Private Water Supplies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017

Part 1 Monitoring for Group A parameters

Sampling

1.—(1) The Department must monitor for a Group A parameter in accordance with this Part.

(2) “Monitoring for a Group A parameter” means sampling for—

(a) each parameter listed in column 1 of Table 1 of this Schedule in the circumstances listed in the entry which corresponds with that parameter in column 2 of Table 1 of this Schedule; and

(b) any other parameter which may be identified as relevant by the Department in the monitoring programme.

TABLE 1

Group A parameters

(1) Parameter	(2) Circumstances
(1) A supply which consists of both groundwater and surface water shall be deemed to be a supply which consists only of surface water.
Aluminium(1)	If used as water treatment chemicals or where the water originates from, or is influenced by, surface waters
Ammonium	Where chloramination is practised
Coliform bacteria	In all supplies
Colony Counts	In all supplies
Colour	In all supplies
Conductivity	In all supplies
Disinfectant residual	When disinfection treatment is practised
Escherichia coli (E. coli)	In all supplies
Indicative Dose	Where there is treatment in place to reduce the level of radionuclides in water intended for human consumption.
Iron(1)	If used as water treatment chemicals or where the water originates from, or is influenced by, surface waters
Manganese(1)	Where the water originates from, or is influenced by, surface waters
Nitrite	Where chloramination is practised
Odour	In all supplies
pH (Hydrogen ion)	In all supplies
Radon	Where there is treatment in place to reduce the level of radionuclides in water intended for human consumption.
Taste	In all supplies
Tritium	Where there is treatment in place to reduce the level of radionuclides in water intended for human consumption.
Turbidity	In all supplies

2.—(1) Sampling for a Group A parameter which is not a radioactive substance must be undertaken at the frequencies specified in Table 2 for those parameters.

(2) Sampling for a Group A parameter which is a radioactive substance must be undertaken at the frequencies specified in Table 3 for those parameters.

TABLE 2

Sampling frequency of sampling for Group A parameters (non radioactive substances)

Volume m3/day(calculated as averages taken over a calendar year)	Sampling frequency per year
≤10	1
> 10 ≤ 100	2
> 100 ≤ 1,000	4
> 1,000 ≤ 2,000	10
> 2,000 ≤ 3,000	13
> 3,000 ≤ 4,000	16
> 4,000 ≤ 5,000	19
> 5,000 ≤ 6,000	22
> 6,000 ≤ 7,000	25
> 7,000 ≤ 8,000	28
> 8,000 ≤ 9,000	31
> 9,000 ≤ 10,000	34
> 10,000	4 + 3 for each 1,000 m3/day of the total volume (rounding up to the nearest multiple of 1,000 m3/day)

TABLE 3

Minimum frequency of sampling for Group A monitoring radioactive substances

Volume m3 /day (calculated as averages taken over a calendar year)	Sampling frequency per year
≤ 1000	1
> 1000 ≤ 10,000	1 + 1 for each 3,300 m3/day of the total volume (rounding up to the nearest multiple of 3,300 m3/day)
> 10,000 ≤ 100,000	3 + 1 for each 10,000 m3/day of the total volume (rounding up to the nearest multiple of 10,000 m3/day)
> 100,000	10 + 1 for each 25,000 m3/day of the total volume (rounding up to the nearest multiple of 25,000 m3/day)