What standard are the companies legally obliged to meet?
Companies are required to supply water constantly and at a pressure which will reach the upper floors of houses. Who monitors performance on water pressure? The water companies collect information on water pressure to identify pressure and supply problems; and the need for leakage control. Ofwat requires companies to report annually on their performance. This is measured against a standard set by Ofwat. The standard is called a Level of Service indicator (known as DG2). This measures the number of properties at risk of experiencing water pressure below the standard. The DG2 measure is ten metres head of pressure, at the external stop tap, at a flow of nine litres per minute. This should be sufficient to fill a one-gallon container in 30 seconds. This level of pressure does not override the duty to supply water constantly at a pressure to reach the upper floors of properties. How many properties suffer from low pressure? Company data supplied to Ofwat show that an eighth of one per cent
