Current Situation: Continued Boil Water Notice for Over 2,000 Households in the UK
More than a month following the confirmed contamination of water supplies with a parasite in a town in Devon, over 2,000 households are still under boil water notices.
While South West Water has lifted boil notices for 21 customers today, a significant number of households in Brixham continue to lack access to clean water.
SWW has stated that tests have shown that residents supplied off the Hillhead to Boohay main no longer need to boil their water and can resume normal usage. However, households in the broader Hillhead, upper Brixham, and Kingswear areas, which are served by a separate system undergoing flushing and cleaning, must still boil their drinking water.
The levels of Cryptosporidium in the remaining contaminated area are reportedly decreasing.
Initial boil water notices were issued on May 15 after SWW detected small traces of the harmful organism in Alston and Hillhead.
Following this discovery, despite initially receiving clear results from all water supply tests, SWW eventually recommended the continued boiling of water as reports of illness among the population emerged.
The outbreak is suspected to be linked to a damaged air valve on private property.
The latest announcement from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) disclosed 100 cases of cryptosporidium.
Earlier this week, SWW personally contacted 34 properties in Hillhead to confirm the safety of their water supply following extensive network cleansing.
The decision to lift additional boil notices was based on evaluations by water quality experts collaborating closely with SWW’s analytical teams and public health specialists, in alignment with guidelines from the UKHSA and the local Environmental Health department.
SWW has ensured that water supply tanks have been thoroughly cleaned and additional protective measures, including UV treatment and specialized microfilters, have been implemented.
SWW has committed to ongoing monitoring of water quality across the network for the foreseeable future.
Laura Flowerdew, SWW’s chief customer and digital officer, expressed gratitude for the community’s patience during the network cleaning efforts. She announced the removal of boil water notices for 21 customers served by the Hillhead to Boohay main, emphasizing the continuous work to lift notices for the remaining households in the specified areas.
While Cryptosporidium levels are declining due to mitigation efforts, SWW will only lift the notices when there is certainty regarding the safety of the water.
Direct communication will be initiated by SWW today with customers and businesses no longer requiring boiling water before consumption.
Bottled water deliveries will persist for all affected homes within the boil water notice region.
Contact our news team via email at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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