Water Supply Regulations

The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 supersede

the Water Supply Byelaws. Their aim is to prevent: waste,
misuse, undue consumption, contamination or false measurement
of water supplied by a Water Undertaker(WU). The
regulations should be read in conjunction with the WRAS
Guide, which includes detailed information of sizes, flow rates,
valves etc. Below is a VERY BROAD and BRIEF interpretation of
the regulations.

Application of the regulations

The regulations apply only to fittings supplied with water by a
WU. They do not apply to water fittings for non-domestic or
non-food production purposes providing the water is metered;
the supply is for less than 1 month (3 months with written
consent) and no water can return through a meter to a mains
pipe. They do not apply to fittings installed before 1 July 99.

Notification

Water undertakers must be notified of the following:
Erecting any building, except a pond or swimming pool of less
than 10,000 litres capacity
Altering any water system in non-residential premises
Changing the use of a property

Installing :

• A bath with a capacity greater than 330 litres
• A bidet with ascending spray or flexible hose
• A single shower unit with multi-head arrangement
• A pump or booster drawing more than 12 litres/min
• A water softener with a waste or needing water for
regeneration or cleaning
• A reduced pressure zone valve or any mechanical device
which presents serious health risks
• A garden watering system other than hand-held hose
• External pipes higher than 730mm or lower than 1350mm
• An automatically filled pond or swimming pool with a
capacity of more than 10,000 litres