Applications of Emerging Technologies in the Drinking Water Sector - Waterborne Pathogens: Detection Methods and Applications - page 339

the Water Services Regulation Authority, as are the water companies. This
is called Ofwat for England and Wales, the Water Industry Commission for
Scotland, and the Utility Regulator for Northern Ireland. Each has the task
of regulating the financial side, ensuring that functions are carried out prop-
erly and protecting customer's interests. These authorities make indepen-
dent decisions but do work closely with Defra, the Consumer Council for
Water, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), and Natural
England, among others. 1 The Environment Agency (EA), SEPA, the North-
ern Ireland EA, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) are responsible
for environmental regulation and drinking water quality.
In the more than 20 years since privatization, more than £90 billion has
been spent on capital investment into water in the UK, with an additional
£22 billion expected to be invested over the current regulatory period
from 2010 to 2015. 1 Water prices are set by regulation authorities in the
UK. Costs vary around the country and between water companies, based
on supply, quality, and environmental factors. The cost of water services
is required to cover treatment, collection and disposal of the water sup-
ply as well as to fund conservation of the natural environment needed for
the water supply. 2 For England and Wales, Ofwat sets prices for a five-year
period. The last prices were set in 2009 to cover the period from 2010 to
2015.
In the UK, Scotland and Northern Ireland both have a single supplier
for water and sewage. These suppliers are Scottish Water and Northern Ire-
land Water, respectively, and they are publically owned. Water in England is
supplied by 23 private companies who operate across different areas of the
country: Northumbrian Water, United Utilities, Hartlepool (part of Anglian
Water), Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent Water, Dee Valley Water, Severn Trent
Water, South Staffs Water, Anglian Water, Essex & Suffolk (part of Northum-
brian Water), Affinity Water, Cambridge Water, Thames Water, Bristol Water,
Wessex Water, South West Water, Sembcorp Bournemouth Water, Cholder-
ton & District Water, Southern Water, Portsmouth Water, South East Water,
Sutton & East Surrey Water and Dwr Cymru, also known as Welsh Water,
the private supplier for the whole of Wales. The following map demon-
strates each of the companies' coverage across England and Wales ( Fig. 11.1 ).
Water intended for general use in the UK has to be collected from a
number of different initial sources, including rivers, surface reservoirs or
underground aquifers. This water then needs to be stored, cleaned and
made consumption-ready before it can be dispersed. Untreated water that
is sourced for drinking water in the UK is subject to a number of processes