One Scheme, One Shared Commitment: Celebrating 20 Years of Protecting Drinking Water Across the UK

For 20 years, the National Water Hygiene (NWH) Scheme has helped bring the UK’s water industry together around one shared goal: protecting drinking water and public health.

A Shared Standard Across the Industry

While water companies serve different communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, they all share the same responsibility. Every person working on the water network plays a vital role in safeguarding water quality, and the National Water Hygiene Scheme has helped establish a consistent standard of hygiene awareness and best practice across the industry.

That consistency has only been possible through collaboration. Over the past two decades, water companies from across the UK have worked alongside EUSR through steering and development groups, sharing expertise and helping to ensure the scheme continues to meet the needs of both the industry and the customers it serves.

Perspectives from Across the UK’s Water Industry

Reflecting on the scheme’s impact, Diane Chamberlain, Water Services Training & Development Business Partner, Anglian Water said:

“For the last twenty years, the National Water Hygiene Scheme has been a foundation for public-health protection across our industry. Its consistent standards have created a workforce that understands the critical responsibility we hold in safeguarding water quality. I’m proud to represent Anglian Water at both steering and development group level, helping to shape and strengthen a scheme that continues to protect our customers and our communities.”

Geoff Springall, Water Quality Manager at Affinity Water, has supported the scheme for more than 15 years as both a trainer and a contributor to its development.

“The scheme is fundamental to everything we do in the supply of high-quality drinking water. Over the last 20 years, the National Water Hygiene Scheme has been instrumental in developing a strong culture of hygiene awareness and responsibility across the industry.”

Paul Campbell, Head of Learning, Development & Resourcing at Scottish Water, said:

“Having worked in the water sector since the National Water Hygiene Scheme was first introduced, I’ve seen first-hand the difference it has made. Prior to the scheme’s introduction, each company had responsibility for managing their own schemes, which created complexity and inefficiency. The Blue Card scheme created a consistent standard across every UK water company, giving everyone who works on the clean water network a shared understanding of their responsibility to protect drinking water quality. Now, twenty years on, it remains one of the most important foundations of public health protection in our industry and has helped to build a culture where safeguarding customers’ water supply is recognised as being vitally important.”

Dr Phillippa Pearson, Water Custodian and Director of Water Regulation at Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, said,

“For the past 20 years, the Water Hygiene Card Scheme has helped ensure that everyone working on and around the water production and supply network, including our own colleagues and contractors, understands the vital role that good hygiene practices play in protecting public health and drinking water quality.

20 years on, the scheme remains a cornerstone of safe drinking water, promoting the highest standards of hygiene, accountability and customer protection.”

Jason Devine, Senior Trainer at Northern Ireland Water, said:

“At Northern Ireland Water, the National Water Hygiene Scheme forms a core part of our operational training, ensuring our people are equipped with the essential knowledge and practices needed to safeguard public health every day.”

A Shared Commitment

Although each organisation serves different regions, the message is the same. Protecting drinking water depends on skilled, knowledgeable people who understand the importance of their role and work to the same high standards every day.

EUSR also plays an important role in supporting the scheme by providing a recognised register of individuals who have successfully completed National Water Hygiene training. The register gives employers and water companies a consistent way to verify an individual’s registration and helps provide confidence that those working on the water network have completed the required training. Alongside the scheme itself, it supports a shared approach to maintaining standards across the UK water industry.

As the National Water Hygiene Scheme marks its 20th anniversary, it is not only an opportunity to celebrate two decades of progress, but also the collaboration that has made that progress possible. Together, water companies across the UK continue to strengthen the culture of hygiene, protect public health and ensure safe, high-quality drinking water for the communities they serve.