Three Valleys Water
Encyclopedia
Veolia Water Central is a privately owned company supplying water to Hertfordshire
and parts of Surrey
, North London and Bedfordshire, in England.
The company was originally formed by a merger in 1994 of the Colne Valley
, Rickmansworth and Lee Valley Water companies. In October 2000 North Surrey Water joined the group. The company is owned by Veolia Environnement, a French company with international interests in the water, waste management, energy and transportation sectors.
The area served includes lies to the north and west of London, including parts of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire
, Buckinghamshire
, Essex
, Middlesex
and Surrey
.
The company depends heavily upon the local chalk
aquifer
for its supplies. In recent years, due to a combination of lower than average rainfall and growing demand, the aquifer has become depleted. This has affected the environment as some watercourses become seasonal and domestic users have been subject to drought restrictions, for the first time for many years.
This may have been a contributing factor in the outbreak of Cryptosporidium parvum
in the Bushey
area in March 1997 when Three Valleys had to ask 300,000 consumers in Hertfordshire to boil water. The source was never isolated though several water supply boreholes in the Chalk aquifer between St Albans and Bushey contained the pathogen.
Hemel Hempstead
lies within the company's area. After the major fire
at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal
at Buncefield, efforts are being made to deal with contaminants to the local aquifer and bore holes.
The company was renamed Veolia Water Central Limited in 2009.
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and parts of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, North London and Bedfordshire, in England.
The company was originally formed by a merger in 1994 of the Colne Valley
Colne Valley Water
The Colne Valley Water Company Plc was a statutory water company supplying parts of South West Hertfordshire from 1873 to 1994. In 1994 it merged into Three Valleys Water....
, Rickmansworth and Lee Valley Water companies. In October 2000 North Surrey Water joined the group. The company is owned by Veolia Environnement, a French company with international interests in the water, waste management, energy and transportation sectors.
The area served includes lies to the north and west of London, including parts of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
and Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
The company depends heavily upon the local chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
for its supplies. In recent years, due to a combination of lower than average rainfall and growing demand, the aquifer has become depleted. This has affected the environment as some watercourses become seasonal and domestic users have been subject to drought restrictions, for the first time for many years.
This may have been a contributing factor in the outbreak of Cryptosporidium parvum
Cryptosporidium parvum
Cryptosporidium parvum is one of several protozoal species that cause cryptosporidiosis, a parasitic disease of the mammalian intestinal tract....
in the Bushey
Bushey
Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. Bushey Heath is situated to the south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow.-History:...
area in March 1997 when Three Valleys had to ask 300,000 consumers in Hertfordshire to boil water. The source was never isolated though several water supply boreholes in the Chalk aquifer between St Albans and Bushey contained the pathogen.
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
lies within the company's area. After the major fire
2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire
The Buncefield fire was a major conflagration caused by a series of explosions on 11 December 2005 at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal, an oil storage facility located near the M1 motorway by Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England. The terminal was the fifth largest oil-products...
at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal
Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal
Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal is operated by Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd and commonly known as the Buncefield oil depot. It is an oil depot located on the edge of Hemel Hempstead to the north of London in the United Kingdom...
at Buncefield, efforts are being made to deal with contaminants to the local aquifer and bore holes.
The company was renamed Veolia Water Central Limited in 2009.