South West Water

South West Water is a British private utility company responsible for the water supply and waste water treatment services throughout Devon and Cornwall and in small areas of Dorset and Somerset. The company also supplies water in the south of England area under the name Bournemouth Water. South West Water was created in 1989 with the privatisation of the water industry. It was preceded by the South West Water Authority which was formed by the Water Act 1973 as one of ten regional water authorities formed by a merger of various statutory and local authority water undertakings. South West Water is part of the Pennon Group.

History The South West Water Authority was formed in 1973.

South West Water was formed in 1989 when the water industry in the United Kingdom was privatised. It is responsible for the supply of the region's drinking water, the treatment and disposal of sewage, and the protection of inland and bathing waters. It is regulated by Ofwat, the water services regulation authority, being required to conform to United Kingdom standards. Water from the Littlehampston treatment works, which serves about 162,000 people in the Torbay area of Devon, has on four separate occasions been contaminated by the dangerous cryptosporidium parasite, most recently in May 2024. In July 1988 the water supply to Camelford, served by the Lowermoor treatment works, was severely contaminated by aluminium sulphate. Many people had medical issues after this and some died.

SWW is part of the Pennon Group.

The following public utilities were taken over by the South West Water Authority in 1973 under the (SI 1973/1307):

Cornwall River Authority Devon River Authority Avon and Dorset River Authority

Plymouth Corporation Waterworks East Cornwall Water Board East Devon Water Board North and Mid Cornwall Water Board North Devon Water Board South Cornwall Water Board South West Devon Water Board West Cornwall Water Board

It was the subject of an episode of the fly-on-the-wall documentary Back to the Floor in 1997.

The business of Bournemouth Water was merged into South West Water in April 2016.

Predecessors

Plymouth Corporation Waterworks

Drake's Leat was constructed by Plymouth Corporation under the Plymouth Haven Act 1584 (27 Eliz. 1. c. 20). The Victualling Establishment, Plymouth Act 1824 (5 Geo. 4. c. 49) furthered the water supply for the Royal William Victualling Yard, giving the corporation powers to construct additional works and reservoirs to ensure the continued water supply to the town and naval establishments.

East Cornwall Water Board

The East Cornwall Water Board was established by the (SI 1959/2001), from the earlier South East Cornwall Water Board and the water undertakings of the councils of Launceston, Liskeard, Saltash, and Torpoint.

The was formed by the (26 Geo. 5 & 1 Edw. 8. c. xxx) from the water undertakings of Looe Urban District Council and St Germans Rural District.

East Devon Water Board

The East Devon Water Board was formed in 1950 and had offices in Honiton. It took over .

The was incorporated by the (27 & 28 Vict. c. ccxlix).

North and Mid Cornwall Water Board

The North and Mid Cornwall Water Board was constituted by the (SI 1965/2197).

North Devon Water Board

The North Devon Water Board was constituted by the (9 & 10 Geo. 6. c. vi) from the Barnstable Water Company and rural district councils within its area.

The was authorised by the (21 & 22 Vict. c. xx).

South Cornwall Water Board

The South Cornwall Water Board was created by the (SI 1967/1928). It has offices at 100 Pydar Street, Truro which it inherited from the Truro Water Company.

The was formed by the (32 & 33 Vict. c. cxxxix) and the (38 & 39 Vict. c. lxxxiv).

The was established by the (45 & 46 Vict. c. cvii).

The was constituted by the (25 & 26 Vict. c. xxxiii).

South West Devon Water Board

The South West Devon Water Board was established by the (SI 1963/793).

The was formed by the (20 & 21 Geo. 5. c. lxxxi).

West Cornwall Water Board

The West Cornwall Water Board was constituted by the (SI 1960/155).

Activities The main source of the water supplied by South West Water is the twenty reservoirs they own, with 90% of the water coming from reservoirs and rivers. Upper Tamar Lake has facilities for angling and watersports, and is used by a number of local clubs including fishing and model yachting clubs. The South West Lakes Trust is a charitable organisation that manages fifty inland water sites across Cornwall, Devon and West Somerset, attracting around two million visitors annually.

Problems

SWW has been responsible for many problems regarding the supply of water. As of June 2026, when the company was fined £1.85 million after pleading guilty to failures leading to an outbreak of hundreds of cases of cryptosporidiosis that required thousands of households to boil their water, it had had 22 criminal convictions since June 2014.

South West Water

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