THE TASTE TESTS
in Scotland, making Scottish water “the most tested water in the world”, says the chief scientist – consistently reaching almost 100 per cent with 99.91 per cent of tests taken at customers’ taps complying with strict regulatory standards.
In addition to tasting, samples from across Scotland are given further testing in the Incubator Room by scientists in white coats, using Petri dishes and agar plates. Hutchison explained: “This is where the magic happens. A team of eight analysts work up to 10pm at night if required to ensure drinking water is safe to drink.”
In a bid to further detect any unwanted bacteria in each of the 400500 samples, they are tested in six different ways, thus ensuring the quality. “In a nutshell, we have got it covered,” added Hutchison.
A chartered microbiologist, she has amassed 25 years’ experience in laboratories in the food and drink industry so has more knowledge of what happens behind the scenes than most, and this has had an impact on her lifestyle.
For example, when she worked for a dairy company, it prompted her to go “dairy free”, and when she worked for a chicken factory, she stopped eating poultry altogether.
But confident in the quality of our drinking water in Scotland, Hutchison is a huge supporter of Scottish Water’s Your Water Your Life campaign, which is encouraging more Scots to top up from the tap.
She said: “Scottish water is the only product I have worked with that I still consume to this day, and always will.” In Scotland, all the water we use comes from rain that is collected in 270 reservoirs across the country and then piped to one of 242 water treatment works. There are three sources; groundwater, upland catchment and lowland river water.
To ensure customers receive an uninterrupted supply, Scottish Water then sends the treated water down its massive network of pipes, stretching more than 30,000 miles. This is a process that happens every minute of the day, every day of the year.
At each stage of the water cycle – at treatment works, service reservoirs and customers’ taps – water samples are taken to ensure this high quality.
Across the country there are more than 90 officers responsible for collecting samples of water in recycled plastic bottles, 365 days a year. Among them is Lindsay Steele. As a self-confessed “people person”, it is the perfect role for the former salesman.
“When I go to a customer’s door to take samples of their tap water they often they ask me questions about their water. I have great pride in telling them where their water comes from. For example, the water in Linlithgow actually comes from Balmore Treatment Works in Glasgow. That surprises some people – it surprised me,” said Lindsay.
On a typical visit, Lindsay (who will always be travelling in a branded Scottish Water van, dressed in uniform, and carrying official identification) could take up to 12 bottles of water from a customer’s tap – ranging from 500ml to 10 litres. It’s a precautionary measure to ensure drinking water in Scotland remains at a high standard.
The bottles are then transported back to the testing labs in Lindsay’s refrigerated van at a temperature between 3°C and 7°C. He added: “We have very strict quality standards and we are audited by external bodies, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). I, along with the other water sampling officers, am also audited once a year.
“A lot of customers I visit love drinking tap water, yet many take it for granted. They say it is the best in the world, and I agree.”
His boss, Jolene Sinnott, Scottish Water’s technical logistics team manager, ensures Scottish Water meets its strategic targets, and “makes sure that the drinking water is fit for Scotland”.
As someone who worked in the organics department before arriving in technical logistics, Jolene has provided an end-to-end service, and explained: “It is about meeting the appropriate standard in the quality of water we are providing and to perform our sampling and testing in a competent way to ensure we protect the public health.
We have brilliant water in Scotland and we’re working 24/7 to keep it clear, fresh and high quality every day.”