The Water and Sewerage Services (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1993

Interpretation

3.  In Article 2 of the principal Order (interpretation)—

(a) in paragraph (2) the following definitions shall be inserted at the appropriate alphabetical place—

““domestic purposes”, in relation to a supply of water to any premises, means the purposes of human consumption, cooking and washing necessary for human health or hygiene but does not include the purposes of the business of a laundry;

“food production premises” means premises used for the purposes of a business of preparing food or drink for consumption otherwise than on the premises;

“food production purposes” shall be construed in accordance with paragraph (3);

“micro-organism” includes any microscopic biological entity which is capable of replication;

“prescribed” means prescribed by regulations;

“private sewer” means a sewer not vested in the Department;

“private supply” means, subject to paragraph (4), a supply of water provided otherwise than by the Department (including a supply provided for the purposes of the bottling of water);

“substance” includes micro-organisms and any natural or artificial substance or other matter, whether it is in solid or liquid form or in the form of a gas or vapour;

“wholesome” shall be construed subject to the provisions of any regulations made under Article 3C;”;

(b) in paragraph (2)—

(i) for the definition of “domestic sewage” there shall be substituted—

““domestic sewage”, in relation to any premises, means—

(a)

the contents of lavatories; and

(b)

water which has been used for cooking or washing necessary for human health or hygiene, not being water used for the business of a laundry or for a business of preparing food or drink;”;

(ii) in the definition of “main” after “giving” there shall be inserted “or intended to give”;

(iii) for the definition of “service pipe” there shall be substituted—

““service pipe” means, subject to paragraph (5), so much of a pipe which is, or is to be, connected with a main for supplying water from that main to any premises—

(a)

as is or is to be subject to water pressure from that main; or

(b)

as would be so subject but for the closing of some valve,

and includes part of any service pipe;”;

(iv) in the definition of “sewage” for “includes” there shall be substituted “means”;

(c) at the end of paragraph (2) there shall be inserted—

“(3) In this Order references to food production purposes are references to the manufacturing, processing, preserving or marketing purposes with respect to food or drink for which water supplied to food production premises may be used.

(4) In this Order for the purposes of references to a private supply, or to supplying water by means of a private supply, water shall be treated as supplied to any premises not only where it is supplied from outside those premises, but also where it is abstracted, for the purpose of being used or consumed on those premises, from a source which is situated on the premises themselves; and for the purposes of this paragraph water shall be treated as used on any premises where it is bottled on those premises for use or consumption elsewhere.

(5) In this Order references to a pipe, including references to a main, a drain or a sewer, shall include references to a tunnel or conduit which serves or is to serve as the pipe in question and to any accessories for the pipe; and, accordingly, references to the laying of a pipe shall include references to the construction of such a tunnel or conduit, to the construction or installation of any such accessories and to the making of a connection between one pipe and another.

(6) For the purposes of this Order a service pipe or drain shall be treated as connected with a main or sewer even if the connection is an indirect connection made by virtue of a connection with one or more than one other service pipe or, as the case may be, drain or private sewer.”.