FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Listed below are some of the most frequently asked private water supply questions in Scotland. If you have other questions, please do not hesitate in sending us an email or giving us a ring. We are always happy to help.

What grants are available in Scotland?
Unlike the rest of the UK, Scottish customers are eligible for a grant. The information relating to grants is taken from the Scottish Executive web site. For more information on this and other subjects relating to Scotland visit their web site: www.privatewatersupplies.gov.uk

Grants of up to £800 are available from your local authority to help you improve your private water supply.

The Grant Scheme is non-means tested and you may be eligible for financial assistance if:your home or business is in Scotland and served by a private water supply;

the private water supply is the main or sole source of water for human consumption purposes to these premises; and your private water supply is in need of improvement to bring it up to modern standards.

Details about the application process are available from your local authority to whom completed forms should be returned.

If you share your supply with a number of neighbouring premises you may wish to consider making a joint application. A joint application can be submitted in respect of all the premises served by the supply, by you and the other owners or occupiers acting together. In the majority of cases a joint approach is likely to provide the most effective long term solution to improve your water quality.

You should not start any of the improvement works before your application is approved by your local authority. Your local authority must agree that the expenditure is necessary. The cost of improving a private supply can vary hugely and there will be instances where the supply requires work which exceeds the £800 grant. In such cases it will be your responsibility to meet the additional costs. Your local authority can provide information and advice about the Grant Scheme and help you complete the application form.

What is the legal situation in Scotland?
Private water supplies are regulated by local authorities using the Private Water Supply (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and the Water (Scotland) Act 1980.

All private water supplies are required to be registered with the local authority where the source of the supply is located.

We have been drinking the water from our burn for years without any problems, why bother getting it treated?

There is some evidence to support the claim that people who regularly drink contaminated water build up immunity to the harmful bacteria. But as we get older, our immunity will decrease and we will have no protection against new strains of bacteria entering the supply. Visitors to the house will of course have no protection. The elderly and the very young should not be encouraged to drink untreated burn or borehole water.

We Our water is discoloured looking a bit like weak tea. Can this discolouration be removed?
If the discolouration is due to tannins, humic or fulvic acid then the answer is, probably not. Discolouration of this type can be significantly reduced by passing the water through a granular activated carbon filter, however, this approach may not remove all of the discolouration.

Our water is beautiful and we don’t want it tasting like town water.
When people complain about the taste of “town water” they are normally referring to the taste imparted by chlorine (the same stuff they use in swimming pools). At Springhill we try to avoid using the term “water treatment” as this implies introducing chemicals into the water, which we don’t recommend (unless it is absolutely necessary i.e. when dealing with extreme levels of iron). UV Purification gets rid of all harmful bacteria without altering the taste of the water or removing any of its healthy minerals.

We know the water from the burn is not safe to drink, that’s why we only drink bottled water. When we do have to drink water from the tap, we boil it so what’s wrong with that?
When the water companies issue “boil water” notices, they recommend the water is boiled 3 times before it is safe. Boiling it once may not get rid of all the bacteria. Using bottled water as the main drinking supply to the house can be a very costly business (litre per litre costing the same as premium petrol) and is not very environmentally friendly -all those plastic bottles, what a waste of the earths resources. Filtered burn water tastes nicer and costs less than branded bottled water.

We have received a letter saying that we have coliforms in the water, what does it mean?
E.Coli and Coliforms are “Indicators” which means they provide evidence that harmful contaminants are getting into the water. E.Coli (0157) can, and does seriously harm people, however other viruses are just as lethal e.g. Cryptosporidium. A failed water tests is a clear indicator that you need to do something about your drinking water.

What are the risks associated with drinking un-filtered water from the burn?
Diarrhoea, stomach cramp, high temperature, nausea, headaches and drowsiness are some of the symptoms that can develop after drinking contaminated water. The worst cases can result in kidney failure.

Will the price of our property be affected if we don’t get the water sorted?
In letters sent to households that have failed their test, in some cases the EHO's (Environmental Health Officers) include the following paragraph “Enforcement action may be taken where the (Private Water Supply) Regulations are breached. We also alert prospective purchasers during searches prior to buying property to any danger or lack of serviced treatment equipment”. So yes, the price of your property will be affected if you don’t do something about your water.

What is UV?
UV Purification is the approved method for getting rid of harmful bacteria from borehole, burn or well supplies. It will not alter the taste of your water or remove any of its healthy minerals.

My daughter’s hair keeps turning a bluey / green, why?
Water that comes from a burn is likely to have passed over organic matter that makes it acidic. This type of water will attack copper pipe, causing leaks and blue staining of fixtures and fittings. The leached copper will also stain light coloured hair. pH Correction adjusts the pH of your water to a level where it is no longer a problem.

The copper pipes keep rotting away and causing leaks, why?
See the point above relating to Acidic water.

When washing clothes in the washing machine, the whites come out with orange staining, why?
This type of problem normally occurs on borehole supplies and is a clear indicator that the water contains high levels of iron or manganese. The water entering the house may look perfectly clear, however, once air is introduced into the water e.g. through agitation in a washing machine or dishwasher, the iron precipitates and leaves behind an orange or brown stain. Iron can be particularly problematic on farms where the sanitization fluids used to clean equipment cause the iron to precipitate, leaving unsightly stains on what is otherwise sterile equipment.

Do Springhill service Shakesby equipment?
Yes. We regularly receive calls from customers who would like us to service Shakesby Iron removal plant and we have built up a large database of customers with these units. We use Shakesby parts and iron removal media (SIRM). We fully guarantee our work and our rates are highly competitive.

We use another company to service our equipment, why should we change to Springhill?
When asked we simply say “We are local, we are cheaper, we do a better job than our competitors and we are quick to respond if a problem occurs”.

We love running our own company and continue to build the business in the old fashioned way: by identifying what people need and meeting those needs with decent products and services, selling them on to satisfied customers at reasonable prices.