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Shetland's Drinking Water


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The Scotish Drinking Water Regulator says contact the water company if the chlorine taste and odour is bad:

 

http://www.dwqr.org.uk/faq.html#q6

 

What if my water smells or tastes?

We would like to put your mind at ease. Drinking water in Scotland is of a very high quality but you may sometimes notice a slight taste or smell, particularly of chlorine. If you do there is no cause to worry. BUT, if you notice a particularly bad or strong smell or taste which means you cannot drink the water, or you notice a smell or taste for the first time, you should contact Scottish Water immediately. Enquiry and emergency numbers are listed under WATER in your telephone directory.

 

 

I have been trying to find the standard limits for chlorine in water but there does not seem to be anything definite stated as statutory as a limit. It seems that chlorine levels might be set according to a companies own disinfection policy, which aims to kill all harmful bacteria and leave a small residual chlorine level (like less that 1 part per million) in the supply water. Sounds like, with the intorduction of ammonia dosing, that they are still trying to get the balance of dosing of chlorine and ammonia right and that, hopefully from what tlady says, its getting better as time goes on.

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My local shop does not sell bottled water.....is this an excuse to drink beer?. Seriously something odd is happening and the more fuss people make the sooner something will be done about it........even if that something is just a range of tests to make sure the stuff is safe to drink.

 

In Shakespeare's day, Londoners would drink beer because something in the brewing process killed off the nasties or it was brewed outside the city with purer water. This was not alcoholism, merely pragmatism, because the drinking water at the time was horribly dangerous and caused cholera and all sorts of yucky diseases that killed people.

 

So, you've totally got an excuse to drink beer. Mind you, there were no motor vehicles in Shakespeare's day so I guess the beer solution (no pun intended) is less appropriate now than it would have been then.

 

That's my boring historical factoid out the way for today. :oops:

 

The water is marginally better today, as T-lady said but I don't know if it's really that it's less chloriney or that I'm simply growing used to it. Either way, I won't be phoning Scottish Water today. If it gets whiffy again, I'll be putting their number on speed dial - and checking out exactly where the local office is to reccy the location for setting up a protest gathering. ;-)

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Since my last contribution to this thread our water in Sandwick, which originates at Sand Loch, began tasting more and more of disinfectant. Even boiling the water for a cup of tea didn't improve the taste. It would be fair to say that it was verging on unpalatable and I was about to ring and complain, however, yesterday it cleared up and was tasting ok again. The whole family noticed it.

 

Has anyone else form the South Mainland/ outside Lerwick noticed anything similar?

 

 

Quote from Shetland News 17/05/2007:

 

Scottish Water are holding the two drop in sessions next Tuesday from 9am to 5pm and on Wednesday from 9am to 1pm at their Shetland Area Office, at Sandy Loch, Lerwick.

 

http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/news_05_2007/Boiling%20over%20about%20brown%20water.htm

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Looks and smells okay at the Ness anyway, even though it's coming out of the same stagnant hol of moory bird washings and sheep pirls idda hill. Can't vouch for taste, I never drink the stuff unless boiled and in tea, a lifetime habit. Ness water was never great coming off of sand as it did, but Lerrik stuff was always far worse, a few tastes from the water fountains in the Central and AHS back in the 70's proved that, even though the waterworks were a "new and state of the art" piece of stuff back then.

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Its a lot better than it was a couple o weeks ago, but its still undrinkable.

 

At least now the "smell" does lessen after standing for a while.

 

Thankfully the co-op now has multi packs of large water bottles.

 

In emergencys Ive been boiling it, leaving it to cool, then sticking it in the fridge over night, that seems to work !!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Our water still tastes / smells bad and I for one dont see why the hell I should buy a filter as surely its noswas responsibility to provide good quality drinking water. Im no goin to put up with it for much longer before I start witholding payment as I dont see why we should pay for a service we cant properly use. Phoning noswa was a complete waste of time and got fobbed of 3 times. Also whats all this chemicals doing to our septic tanks ???? :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

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  • 1 month later...

For long enough now i have put up with the brown "water" that constantly streams from my taps every time i turn the taps.

 

Why should we continue paying tax's for water, when we don't even get water that looks drinkable???

 

They may argue that the water is safe to drink but i for one will not be drinking the brown sludge that comes from the taps in my house.

 

views?

 

[mod]Threads merged[/mod]

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After leaving a glass of water out.. sorry Im not stinking up my fridge...

for nearly an hour, it still stank of chlorine...

 

So phoned Scottish Water and got a very helpful young man who after hearing my post code said "ahh right" who then went on to say they'd had quite a few complaints recently, but as they'd just switched to the new system it would probably be "worse before it gets better"

 

He then told me he would check with the area supervisor....joy of awful music.....but when he came back the news was very disappointing..

 

Even after loads of complaints about the taste, they had tested it all out and there was no problems with the system, and they think the problem is we are just not used to this "quality" of water!!

 

I am now heading out for a large supply of bottled water!!

 

 

Lol ... aye I noticed tlady... there wasnt any Evian left in somerfields when I went to get mine... I always drink bottled water.. sometimes I wonder if it isnt the water that is making most folks ill... I mean jeez.. I have never ever heard of so many illnesses, cancer, ME, MS, Diabetes, parkinsons, hodgekinsons in my life... and the amount of handicaped people too... something has to be causing it, and if it isnt the water, what is it??? Reminants of chernobyl??? The stack at Sullom?? or good ole fashion problems with neolithic sites..?? :roll:

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I read an article recently that said that bottled water is worse for you than your average tap water. A lot of the bottled water you can buy is just tap water at the end of the day anyway.

 

Drink beer instead. Still contains water but after a while you don't realise the taste...

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I read an article recently that said that bottled water is worse for you than your average tap water. A lot of the bottled water you can buy is just tap water at the end of the day anyway.

 

Drink beer instead. Still contains water but after a while you don't realise the taste...

 

By god if they tried to sell this undrinkable crap they wouldnt hae got permission in the first place. Told noswa that if no improvement by the end o the month then no more money. I point blank refuse to pay for water we cant drink , it used to be good until they changed the treatment process whithout consulting the public. :evil:

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