Department says drinking water quality remains high across North

A report from the Drinking Water Inspectorate has found drinking water quality in Northern Ireland is of a high standard.

DWI is responsible for regulating drinking water quality, and today published its Annual Report for 2022. The report found that drink water quality remained high across the North in 2022.

Welcoming the publication of the report, the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Paul Donnelly said, “I welcome the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s annual report on Drinking Water Quality in Northern Ireland. The report demonstrates that the quality of our drinking water remains high which is vital for the protection of Public Health. It is also important for the hospitality sector, farming and the economy.”

During 2022, almost 100,000 tests were completed. As outlined in the DWI Report, the overall compliance for the mains water supply in 2022 was 99.91%. The results are based on samples taken from water treatment works, service reservoirs and consumers’ taps.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 had a small impact on the monitoring of the quality of drinking water supplies across Northern Ireland in the first three months of 2022.

However, the full regulatory monitoring programme of public water supplies returned in March 2022. Private water supplies monitoring was completed for 99.77% of scheduled parameters in 2022.

The Chief executive went on to say, “The Drinking Water Inspectorate has an important role to play in providing the Northern Ireland public with an independent assurance that their water supply is safe and clean. When required, DWI has carried out enforcement to ensure safe, clean drinking water is sustained.”

He added,  “Moving forward, continued improvement in drinking water quality in Northern Ireland remains a priority for the Department. DWI continues to use its influence with NI Water and the owners and users of private water supplies to improve drinking water quality regardless of where it comes from. The need to secure the provision of a resilient public water supply into the future as well as the need to achieve net zero is driving the need for more innovative, lower carbon treatment solutions to be identified by NI Water.”