Water quality sampling checks are set to re-start at households across the country after a year-long halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Scottish Water samplers will once again be carrying out checks at randomly selected addresses to ensure the water Scottish customers use meets high quality standards.
Nationwide household sampling has been paused during the pandemic to help prevent the spread of the virus and keep employees and customers safe and healthy.
However, alternative sampling arrangements, which were agreed with the Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR), were put in place to monitor quality levels throughout the past year.
These included taking water from different parts of the distribution network, commercial premises and volunteers’ homes.
Re-launching ‘vital’ programme to ensure high quality
As lockdown restrictions across the country are gradually being eased, the annual programme is now set to resume in its usual format.
Simon Parsons, director of strategic customer service planning, said: “The samples taken from our customers’ taps are vital to ensuring water quality is checked and maintained all year round.
“This activity was paused during the restrictions resulting from the need to prevent the spread of the virus and to keep our key workers and householders safe.
“We want customers to be aware the programme is re-starting and that Scottish Water samplers may be calling again to check water quality and we thank the public for participating in this activity. Additional precautions will be taken to maintain safety and health.
“We would like to thank our customers in advance for their co-operation in helping us meet some of the most rigorous quality standards anywhere in the world.”
Public water in Scotland at ‘very high level’
Each year, Scottish Water’s sampling teams take approximately 15,000 samples at properties randomly selected by postcode – with around 200,000 tests carried out on all samples from across the network.
Samples taken are subjected to rigorous testing which can detect the presence of metals or bacteria through to picking up any discolouration, taste or odour issues.
The quality of Scotland’s public water supply has been maintained at a very high level in recent years – hitting a score of nearly 99.2% standard compliance in 2019-20.