Getting it to your taps

Did you know that over two thirds of your water comes from upland surface water reservoirs in the Lake District, the Pennines and North Wales; some comes from boreholes; and a quarter comes from rivers, like the Dee?

Catching all that rainfall is one thing, but to take it from its natural source and turn it into clean, clear drinking water that comes out of your taps, is something else. 

After transporting the water from rivers, boreholes and over 200 reservoirs to more than 80 sites across the North West, the raw water then has to be treated and disinfected to kill any harmful germs that may be present. All stages of water treatment will remove some of the micro-organisms present, however, chemical disinfection is still needed to make sure the water is completely free from harmful bacteria and viruses. We do this by adding small amounts of chlorine, which is the final stage of treatment before the water is piped to our customers. The chlorine levels in the water supply are constantly monitored, and the water that leaves our works meets strict water quality standards.

At every stage in its journey from source to your tap, we sample, analyse, and continually monitor the effectiveness of water treatment to make sure we are providing all our customers with the highest quality drinking water.

We also have an easy-to-read guide which explains how you can keep your tap water in tip-top condition (PDF 14.2 MB opens in a new window).