South Staffordshire Water

South Staffordshire Water supplies water services to an area of almost 1,490 square kilometres, from the edge of Ashbourne in the north, to Halesowen in the south, and from Burton on Trent in the east to Kinver in the west, with a population of nearly 1.25 million.

South Staffordshire Water was formed in 1853 to supply water to the Black Country.

The water supplied by South Staffordshire Water is drawn from two major surface sources - Chelmarsh reservoir and Blithfield reservoir, which was opened by the Queen Mother in 1953. Treated water is distributed via South Staffordshire Water's 25 service reservoirs and 5,722 km of water mains.

South Staffordshire Water is a water only supplier, so South Staffordshire Water customers will have their sewerage services supplied by Severn Trent Water.

As two separate companies provide water and sewerage services, South Staffordshire Water customers may receive separate bills for each service or South Staffordshire Water may bill them for both services and collect the money on behalf of the sewerage company.

To be classed as wholesome, water must comply with the water quality standards set out in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989.

In 2003, 37,223 tests were carried out on samples taken by South Staffordshire Water. 99.91% of these tests complied with the Regulations (source: http://www.dwi.gov.uk).

South Staffordshire Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. South Staffordshire Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area.

This year's report from Ofwat saw South Staffordshire Water ranked the second highest service in the industry, the second time they have achieved this position.