Minister says boil water notice was caused by treatment works fault, not chemical contamination

Mark Mansfield 

A boil water notice that affected thousands of households in Rhondda Cynon Taf was caused by a fault in the water treatment process rather than chemicals entering the water supply, a Welsh Government minister has said.

In a written statement to the Senedd, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Resilience and Sustainability Llyr Gruffydd sought to clarify the cause of the incident at Maerdy Water Treatment Works, which led Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to issue a precautionary boil water notice on May 22.

The notice affected communities across the Rhondda after what the company described as an operational issue at the treatment works.

The minister said a burst pipe feeding coagulant, a chemical used in the treatment process, had reduced the effectiveness of part of the water treatment system.

While the fault was repaired within hours, extensive testing and flushing of the network was required before restrictions could be lifted.

Mr Gruffydd said: “This incident did not involve excess chemicals entering the water supply, as has been suggested in some commentary, but rather reduced effectiveness of part of the treatment process.”

Dŵr Cymru temporarily stopped water from entering the network and advised customers to boil tap water while the issue was investigated and resolved.

The notice was lifted in phases between May 25 and May 26 after water quality testing confirmed supplies met drinking water standards.

Customers can now use tap water normally for drinking, cooking and brushing their teeth, with no public health advice remaining in place.

Disruption

The minister said: “I recognise the disruption this incident has caused to residents, businesses and public services, particularly during the recent period of warm weather, and I thank communities for their patience and understanding while the issue was resolved safely.”

Mr Gruffydd also praised the response of Dŵr Cymru, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and public health partners.

He said: “I would also like to thank Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, public health partners and all responding organisations for their coordinated and professional response, including support provided to vulnerable households and priority sites.”

The minister noted that Dŵr Cymru had seen an increase in registrations for its Priority Services Register during the incident and encouraged vulnerable customers to sign up before emergencies occur.

Compensation

Affected household customers will receive compensation of £20 per day for the duration of the boil water notice, while businesses can apply for goodwill payments where they have experienced additional costs or losses.

Payments will be made directly into customers’ bank accounts where details are held, or by cheque where they are not.

Dŵr Cymru has now stood down its bottled water stations and moved into the recovery phase.

Mr Gruffydd confirmed that the company would carry out a review of the incident, which will also be examined independently by the Drinking Water Inspectorate.