STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS.

S.I. No. 350 of 1999.

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (QUALITY OF WATER INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1999.

S.I. No. 350 of 1999.

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (QUALITY OF WATER INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1999.

In exercise of the powers conferred on the Minister for the Environment and Local Government by section 3 of the European Communities Act, 1972 , ( No. 27 of 1972 ), which said powers were delegated to me by the Environment and Local Government (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) (No. 2) Order, 1997 ( S.I. No. 428 of 1997 ), and for the purpose of giving effect to provisions of the Council Directive of 15 July 1980 (No. 80/778/EEC)⁽¹⁾ , I, DAN WALLACE, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government, hereby make the following Regulations:--

1. These Regulations may be cited as the European Communities (Quality of Water Intended for Human Consumption) (Amendment) Regulations, 1999.

2. The (Quality of Water Intended for Human Consumption) Regulations, 1988 ( S.I. No. 81 of 1988 ) are hereby amended by the deletion of article 8 thereof and the substitution therefor of the following:

“8. (1) Where it is found, as a result of monitoring carried out under article 7, that the quality of water intended for human consumption does not meet the requirements of these Regulations, the sanitary authority shall:-

(a) take all reasonable steps to warn users of the water supply where there is an unacceptable risk to public health,

(b) in the case of a public water supply, prepare an action programme for the improvement of the quality of the water as soon as practicable,

(c) in the case of a private water supply serving 50 persons or more, serve a notice on the person or persons responsible for the supply requiring such person or persons, to prepare, in consultation with the sanitary authority, an action programme for the improvement of the quality of the water as soon as practicable,

(d) in the case of a private water supply serving fewer than 50 persons, notify the person or persons responsible for the supply as soon as practicable of the measures which should be taken for the improvement of the quality of the water.

(2) An action programme under sub-article (1) shall have regard to the provisions of any strategic rural water plan for the area in which the water supply is situate.”.

Dated the 3rd day of November, 1999.

DAN WALLACE,

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

These Regulations amend the European Communities (Quality of Water Intended for Human Consumption) Regulations, 1988. They provide for remedial measures to be taken in relation to certain private drinking water schemes which are deficient in quality. These Regulations give further effect to Council Directive 80/778/EEC relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption.

⁽¹⁾ OJ No. L 229, 30.8.1980, p.1