DWQR reports 99.94% compliance – but calls for improvements

Drinking water quality compliance (public water supply) was 99.94% in Scotland in 2024 – but the regulator criticised “too many avoidable incidents” in its annual report.

Scottish Water’s performance improved in terms of samples taken from customer taps and service reservoirs, but there was a slight decline in the results from water samples leaving treatment works.

Elsewhere, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) conducted 34 detailed investigations in 2024, compared with 29 the previous year. It said this number was “too high”. It said that, as in previous years, loss of control of the water treatment process was the most common cause. The number of incidents concerning the disinfection of water increased, which DWQR said was “a worrying trend”.

The report also noted that Scottish Water received 16,779 complaints from consumers about the quality of their drinking water in 2024, roughly flat on recent years.

David Reynolds, the DWQR since September 2024, said: “Our drinking water in Scotland is amongst the finest in the world, however we need to invest to ensure this remains true. Scottish Water is managing a number of risks, and I would like to see these greatly reduced by ensuring assets fail-safe when things go wrong.

“Consumers expect their tap water to look and taste good. I am disappointed in the number of incidents where consumers received discoloured water and Scottish Water needs to do more to prevent these situations.”