Protection of Water Quality
Irish Water has a legal obligation to provide Wholesome Water as outlined in Statutory Instrument 122 of 2014, European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2014.
Installation, testing and commissioning (flushing, cleaning, disinfection, scouring, etc.) of the Works shall be carried out and bacteriological tests undertaken prior to connection to the Irish Water’s Network.
If a water sample taken prior to the final connection does not meet the parametric standards laid down in the Drinking Water Regulations, a new sample shall be taken and tested. A connection shall not be provided until the bacteriological tests are satisfactory.
Sample dates should be 14 days of a connection being made, if not a new sample shall be taken and tested and the disinfection process repeated, if required
Service Connections shall only be made once the supply pipework has been confirmed to have passed the sampling tests indicating compliance with Statutory Instrument 122 of 2014, European Union Drinking Water Regulations 2014 (the DWRs).
The Customer’s contractor/sub-contractor shall ensure that he has sufficient chlorine wipes available at all times to maintain an appropriate level of cleanliness for his tools, equipment, pipe, fittings, etc.
All fittings shall be kept within sealed wrappings and must not be stored on the floor of vans or warehouses at any time.
When the Customer’s contractor/sub-contractor suspects that a contamination incident has occurred, he shall notify Irish Water immediately and the necessary action will be determined.
Irish Water Code of Practice
This Code of Practice outlines acceptable typical design and construction details that are required by Irish Water for the provision of water supply pipes and related infrastructure in Self-Lay Developments which are to be connected to the Irish Water Network.
The Code of Practice outlines Irish Water’s technical requirements for the design, construction and commissioning of the Water Works for housing and industrial/commercial developments, which is to be vested by Irish Water
It shall be used in conjunction with the associated Design Risk Assessments that have been developed which identify the risks that designers shall take into account in the detailed design of the water supply pipes and related infrastructure to be connected to the Irish Water Network.
The pipes and related infrastructure to be put in place within developments shall comply fully with this Code of Practice.
It is important that the Customer consults with Irish Water on all technical matters regarding the provision of the Works for proposed developments as early as possible. This can be done by engaging in a Pre-Connection Enquiry process as outlined in the Irish Water Guide to Connect which is available on the Irish Water website, at http://www.water.ie
Definitions
In this document, the following terms and definitions apply –
“the Act” means the Water Services Act 2007 – 2014;
“Accessories” means all Manholes, Chambers, tanks, fittings, valves, or any machinery or other apparatus which is designed or adapted for use in connection with the use or maintenance of the Works;
“Applicant” means a Customer who has made an application for a connection to Irish Water’s Network;
“Application to Connect” means an application by applicant Customer for a connection to Irish Water’s Network;
“Backfill” means material that is used in a pipe trench to replace excavated material above the granular surround of the pipe to the underside of the roadway/footway construction or the underside of the top-soil reinstatement in a greenfield area as set out in this Code of Practice;
“Boundary” means the outer edge of the Curtilage of the Customer’s Premises;
“Boundary Box” means an on line, below ground proprietary enclosure containing a stop valve, a water meter and associated fittings forming part of the Service Connection and located at the public side of a Curtilage Boundary.
“Capital Investment Plan (CIP)” means the document outlining a programme of schemes and contracts identified by Irish Water for advancement to various stages in a specific time period and published by Irish Water as required under Section 34 of the Water Services (No 2) Act 2013 which sets out and particularises the investment in Water Services infrastructure that Irish Water considers necessary for the effective performance by it of its functions in a particular period;
“Chamber” means an enclosed structure which houses Pipes, Accessories and related fittings including meters;
“Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU)” means the body established pursuant to Section 8 of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999, formerly the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) as amended;
“Completion Certificate” means a certificate provided by Irish Water to the Customer at the end of the Defects Liability Period;
“Conformance Certificate” means a certificate issued by Irish Water to the following completion of construction, inspection and commissioning of the Works and provision of record documentation pursuant to this Code of Practice;
“Connection” means the physical connection to the Network to facilitate the provision of Water Services to the Customer’s Premises;
“Connection Agreement” means a written agreement entered into between the Customer and Irish Water setting the commercial and technical terms governing the Connection;
“Connection Offer” means the letter issued to the Customer by Irish Water and which details the connection terms and conditions that are offered to the Customer;
“Customer” means a developer who intends to provide Works for housing, mixed use and commercial development and who intends to or has applied to enter into a Connection Agreement or has entered into a Connection Agreement;
“Curtilage” means an area of land immediately surrounding a building or group of building structures which is used for the enjoyment of such building, group of building structures;
“Deed of Grant of Easement” means a deed which grants a legal easement over a person’s real property for a specific purpose;
“Defects Liability Period” means a minimum period of 12 months or such other period as may be specified by Irish Water from time to time between the issue of the Conformance Certificate and the issue of a Completion Certificate during which the Customer is responsible under the Connection Agreement for the cost of rectification of any defects in or connected to the Works;
“Defects Report” means a list of correction works that is issued with the Conformance Certificate that Irish Water’s Field Engineers have identified and which require remediation by the Customer;
“Distribution System” means a pipe and its related fittings, that is used or to be used as the case may be to convey water into or through one or more Premises (including any related internal or external taps) excluding a Service Connection as defined below, and also excluding where it is taken in charge by Irish Water;
“Domestic Use” means Water Supply used for the day to day domestic requirements including drinking, washing and sanitation;
“Final Documents” means the suite of documents as set out in Section 1.7 of this Code of Practice;
“Fire Authority” means the relevant Local Authority exercising its fire authority functions;
“Fire Flow” means the water flow required for fire fighting purposes;
“Irish Water” means Irish Water (Uisce Eireann), a private company limited by shares with registration number 530363, established pursuant to the Water Service Act 2013 and having its registered office at Colvill House, 24-26 Talbot Street, Dublin 1, Ireland;
“Local Authority” means the County Council or City Council (as defined in the Local Government Act 2001) responsible for the functional area within which the Customer’s Premises is located;
“Manhole” means a large Chamber which facilitates human access to and working space at pipe level;
“Network” means the Irish Water owned and controlled Water infrastructure;
“Pipe” includes— (a) any Water Main, Service Connection, drain, channel, culvert, drainage pipe, and (b) any system of such pipes, accessories and related fittings, including meters, that is used, designed or intended to be used to collect, store, distribute or measure water;
“Premises” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 2 of the Water Service Act, and includes any part of any public or private building, vessel, vehicle, structure or land (whether or not there are structures on the land and whether or not the land is covered with water), and any plant or related accessories on or under such land, or any hereditament of tenure, together with any out-buildings and Curtilage and which is:
Receiving Water Services;
Specified in an application for Water Services completed by the Customer; or
A premises deemed to be a premises by Irish Water; or
Such other premises as may be notified by the Customer to Irish Water and accepted by Irish Water from time to time, but does not include land which is a Public Road, a road which is the subject of an order under Section 11 of the Roads Act 1993 or a road which has been taken in charge by a Local Authority pursuant to a non-statutory Local Authority taking in charge scheme;
“Public Road” means a road over which a public right of way exists and the responsibility for the maintenance of which lies on a Road Authority;
“Quality Assurance Folder” means a document that is developed and retained by the Customer to include information about and on-site quality assurance records of the water services infrastructure installation which will be updated as required and made available to the Irish Water Field Engineers for inspection and which can be used to facilitate the collation of the Final Documents;
“Regulator” means where applicable all present and future regulatory bodies having regulatory oversight over Irish Water including, but not limited to, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Planning Housing Local Government, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and/or any other statutory body or regulatory authority which regulates on an on-going basis or from time to time the business or operations of Irish Water;
“Rising Main” means a Water Main through which water is pumped and conducted under pressure;
“Road Authority” means the relevant Local Authority or Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) exercising it road authority function;
“Security” means a Surety in the form of a Bond under the Major Water and Wastewater Connection Agreement and a Self-Lay Surety under the Housing and Mixed Used Connection Agreement;
“Service Connection” means a pipe, together with any accessories and related fittings, extending from a Main to within 225mm of the outer edge of the boundary of the Curtilage of a premises, and used, or to be used as the case may be, for the purpose of connecting one or more premises;
“Structure” means any building, erection, structure, excavation, or other thing constructed, erected, or made on, in or under any land, or any part of a structure so defined, and, where the context so admits, includes the land on, in, or under which the structure is situated;
“Taking in Charge” means the process for taking infrastructure into the sole control and responsibility of a Local Authority pursuant to Section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000;
“TII” means Transport Infrastructure Ireland
“Vesting” is the mode by which the ownership of non-real property water services infrastructure transfers to Irish Water pursuant to the requirements of the Connection Agreement between the Customer and Irish Water.
“Water Connection Point” means the point of connection of the Customer’s pipe work to Irish Water’s Network where such connection is completed by Irish Water;
“Water Network” means the network of pipes and accessories used to deliver water from a supply source or reservoir to the Customer;
“Water Main” means water supply pipe owned by, vested in or Irish Water and does not include pipes fittings and appliances to which the terms “Service Connection” or
“Distribution System” apply;
“Water Services” has the meaning assigned to it by Section 2 of the Water Services Act 2007 and means all services, including the provision of water intended for human consumption, which provide storage, measurement, treatment or distribution of surface water, ground water, or wastewater collection, storage, measurement, treatment or disposal, with the exceptions as outlined in the Water Services Act;
“Water Services Acts” means the Water Services Act 2007 to 2014;
“Wholesome Water” means water complying with the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations 2007 and subsequent Amendments and which is fit for domestic consumption, sometimes referred to “potable water”; “Works” means the provision by the Customer of water pipes and related infrastructure which are to be connected to Irish Water’s Network;
Statutory Relevance
The primary legislation governing for Water Services in Ireland is The Water Services Act 2007. The legislation is broad ranging concerning the supply of water for both domestic and non-domestic use and the collection and treatment of wastewater.
The Water Services Act (No2) 2013 was enacted in December 2013 and provided for the transfer of water services functions from the Local Authorities to Irish Water from January 1st 2014. The Water Service Act also provided for the transfer of assets and certain liabilities related to water services from Local Authorities to Irish Water.
Options for Connections and Connection Procedure
Two main options will be available to the Customer for the installation of the Works as follows:
Self-Lay - Customer undertakes the design and construction of the Works
Irish Water Lay - Customer undertakes design of the Works and subsequently uses an Irish Water Regional Contractor to undertake its construction
Connection Procedure
The steps that Irish Water will utilise for the Works comprises:
Pre-Connection Enquiry (Optional);
Design Submission;
Connection Application;
Connection Offer (followed by acceptance and payment);
Construction Stage (including Irish Water supervision, inspection, etc.);
Commissioning Stage (including infrastructure documentation, inspection, etc.);
Connection of infrastructure to Irish Water assets (on issue of a Conformance Certificate);
Vesting;
Defects Liability Stage;
Completion (on issue of a Completion Certificate
Please note: A Connection Agreement is required in all cases before Irish Water will make a connection to its Network
Responsibility of Irish Water
Irish Water has no responsibilities for maintenance or renewal within your premises curtilage.
Irish Water has a responsibility for supplying Wholesome Water to the boundary to the curtilage of premises
Diagram HIW1 - Maintenance responsibility- Extract from Irish Water
Application for a Conformance Certificate
The level of inspections by Irish Water on site will depend on the whether it’s a Self Lay or Irish Water Lay.
Irish Water’s Field Engineers will undertake a final site inspections on the completed water supply infrastructure inline with the Critical Site Inspection Policy during the construction of the Works.
A QA folder shall be retained on site to show records of the water services infrastructure , this will also be required under BCAR and by your Chartered Engineer responsible for its design.
These final inspections will be carried out after the submission by the Customer of an application for the issuing of a Conformance Certificate.
The Conformance Certificate will be issued to the Customer by Irish Water indicating satisfaction with the construction of the Works following:
Inspection of the constructed infrastructure confirming that it is constructed in accordance with the Code of Practice and Standard Details. (If minor corrections are required to the infrastructure (snags) a ‘Defects Report’ will be issued with the Conformance Certificate outlining these minor defects); and
The Customer’s submission of Final Documents
The Final Document shall compromise the following typical scope of documentation:
Confirmation by a Chartered Engineer that the Works has been installed in accordance with the design submitted in the Connection Application;
Confirmation by a Chartered Engineer that the Works has been installed in line with this Code of Practice and Standard Details;
Confirmation by a Chartered Engineer and test result certificates indicating that the Works has undergone appropriate on-site testing, off-site testing and commissioning.
The appropriate site tests for the Works would be, but are not limited to, the following:
Pressure Tests on Ductile Iron Water Mains (if appropriate) with a hard copy printout from the data logger as proof of the outcome of the test;
Pressure Test Records of polyethylene pipes (if appropriate) with a hard copy printout from the data logger of the relaxation curve as proof of the outcome of the test.
Testing completion results of Pumping Plant (if appropriate);
Disinfection of Water Mains (including cleaning, scouring, swabbing and disposal of disinfection water);
Commissioning testing of Works including water quality sampling and testing of water from the commissioned works;
A printout of the joint details, with a GPS location of each joint;
Provision of “As-Constructed” drawings and records of the installed Works in hard and soft copy to be delivered to the Irish Water Field Engineers;
“As-Constructed” record of service pipe installation completion (including link to House Numbers within the development);
Provision of Safety File in accordance with the current Safety and Health Construction Regulations;
Provision of Operation and Maintenance Manuals for pumping plant (if such provided) including full pump details, performance curves and power ratings, etc., and all warranty documentation for the installed equipment as well as drawings of the pump station;
Provision of Deeds of Grant of Easement;
Proof of ownership of the Premises in the form of Deed/Solicitor letter;
Confirmation of compliance with a Fire Safety Officer Report
Confirmation by a Chartered Engineer of compliance with the Building Regulations and the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations, in particular evidence of compliance with the Building Regulations to ensure plumbing systems compliance and no risk of backflow contamination;
A construction stage hydraulic model (if relevant);
As Built Record Drawings in hard copy and digital format, showing location and layout plans, longitudinal sections and details of the Works and development in full. Plan scales should be in common use, i.e. 1:500, 1:1000 or 1:2500 as appropriate. Drawings should be prepared using an electronic system and submitted in standard “AutoCAD (dwg/dxf)” file format. These drawings shall contain the following information:
Locations of all valves, hydrants, scour valves or washout hydrants, meters, ducts, tapping locations, Water Main and service pipes, Boundary Boxes, etc., complete with legends to Irish Water’s requirements;
Detailed pipe material types, sizes, connection detailed plans of pipe branches, showing valve locations, etc.;
Locations of assets are to be to +/- 100mm accuracy in the horizontal plane to the centre of the asset, with dimensions relating to fixed Irish National Grid (ING) co-ordinates;
Cover level for Water Main fittings and intermittent Water Main invert levels relating to fixed Ordnance Survey Datum (Malin Head) to an accuracy of +/- 20mm;
Longitudinal sections, to an exaggerated vertical scale, showing installed levels, completed ground levels, invert levels, pipe sizes, bedding, haunch and surround details, backfill details, together with Chamber locations, chainages, gradients, pipe materials, etc. All Chambers for water supply fittings shall be identified and provided with location coordinates to Irish National Grid (ING);
Details of any services and structures on the site, especially those in close proximity to the Works including offset measurement to the water supply system;
Dwelling and building numbers;
Construction details of pump station as well as mechanical, electrical and instrumentation equipment details;
Details of services and structures on the site, existing and proposed, especially those in close proximity to the Works including offsets measurements to the Works.
Conformance Certificate
Subject to a review of the documentation submitted and a site inspection(s) , the customer will be notified in writing with the Conformance Certificate or they may be required to carry out additional works.
Connection of Development to Irish Water Network
Following the completion of the minor corrections outlined in the Defects Reports, Irish Water or its agents will carry out the connection of the Works to the Irish Water’s Network.
The Defects Liability Period commences at the date of the Conformance Certificate.
Irish Water will Take in Charge the Works upon its connection to the Network.
However, the Customer will be deemed to remain responsible under the Connection Agreement for the cost of remediation of any defective works that are deemed necessary during the Defects Liability Period.
The Customer shall not proceed with “step-by-step” extensions of the initial approved infrastructure beyond that which has received Irish Water agreement/consent via the Connection Agreement without making a formal application for and receiving Irish Water approval of any extension(s) of the Works associated with the initial development.
This will also apply where another Customer is seeking to connect into the infrastructure installed in the development. Such extensions are regarded as additional new connection works and are subject to the same level of Irish Water compliance, governance, etc., as the initial connection.
These extensions will require separate Connection Agreements, payment, supervision, inspection, auditing, etc
Vesting
Under the Connection Agreement, the Customer agrees that the Works will become vested in Irish Water immediately upon issuance of the Conformance Certificate by Irish Water.
To be vested with Irish Water you will be required to provide proof of title of the development land as well as whatever formal Deeds of Grant of Easements are required for pipework routes for the benefit of Irish Water. The areas are to be highlighted on a Property Registration Authority (PRA) compliant map and approved by Irish Water prior to execution of the Deed.
Defects Liability Period
A Defects Liability Period will apply for a minimum of 12 months or such other period as may be specified by Irish Water in the Connection Agreement from the date of the Conformance Certificate and the issue of the Completion Certificate during which the Customer is responsible under the Connection agreement for the cost of rectification of any defects in or connected to the Works.
Completion Certificate
After the Defects Liability Period Irish Water will issue a Completion Certificate to the Customer.
You should note that Irish Water may deduct from the Self-Lay Surety any costs which they may incur:
in undertaking any works of construction, reconstruction, maintenance, rectification or repair or making good of defects, imperfections, shrinkages or other faults by reason of the Customer or the Contractor failing to complete in a good and workmanlike manner and in accordance with the specification aforesaid the entirety of the Service Connection; or,
towards invoices or sums payable by virtue of any actions, claims or demands made against Irish Water by any third party as a result of any act or default by the Customer.
*Fire Authority Liaison
Agreement is required with the local Fire Department to ensure compliance with their requirements. You or your designer will be responsible for all liaisons with the Fire Authority and agreeing all arrangements for the provision of fire flow for fire fighting purposes.
Where you require additional flow capacity , this can be requested from Irish Water, Irish Water will review the existing network and may offer to carry out network upgrades, at the expense of the Customer.
Hydrants are to be provided in accordance with Section B5 of Technical Guidance Document B and Section B10 of Technical Guidance Document B(2) for Dwellings.
Standards and Specifications
All material shall be in accordance with the relevant European Standards (EN) covering the subject which is in force in the European Union.
Where there is no relevant European Standard, materials shall be in accordance with an Irish Standard (IS) or a British Standard (BS).
A Water UK Water Industry Specification (WIS) may be used where there is no relevant European Standard, Irish Standard, British Standard or European Union National Standard available.
Civil Engineering Specification for the Water Industry (CESWI)
The design and construction of Works shall conform to the current version of the Civil Engineering Specification for the Water Industry (CESWI), subject to the particular Requirements applied to it by Irish Water, as outlined in this Code of Practice
