Water quality: a complex journey from operator to tap. Who is responsible?

Summary

This article addresses the crucial issue of water quality, explaining how the responsibility for its safety is shared among various stakeholders. The chain of responsibility is analysed: from the water utility, responsible up to the meter, to the homeowner or condominium administrator, responsible for the internal plumbing (the 'last mile”). With the introduction of the new Legislative Decree 18/2023, the figure of the Internal Water Distribution Manager (GIDI) is defined, who has specific obligations for risk assessment and management. The article explores the potential dangers (biological, chemical, physical) that can arise in the private network and highlights how DKR positions itself as a strategic partner to ensure water quality at the point of use, offering technologies and consultancy for compliance with regulatory obligations.

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We turn on the tap and expect the water that comes out to be pure, safe, and pleasant-tasting. This trust is well-founded, thanks to a system of rigorous controls and European and national regulations that guarantee very high standards. But who exactly is the guarantor of this quality? The answer is more complex than one might think. The journey of water from its source to our glass is a long one, and the responsibility for its safety is a chain that involves multiple links, each with precise duties.

With the entry into force of the new Legislative Decree 18/2023, repealing the previous Legislative Decree 31/2001, the regulatory framework has evolved, placing even more emphasis on risk assessment and responsibility in the last, critical stage of distribution: that within buildings.

The first guardian: the waterworks manager

The primary and fundamental body responsible for water quality is the water utility provider. Whether it is a public, private company or a partnership, its task is to ensure that the water meets all legal parameters up to the point of delivery, meaning at the building's water meter.

To do so, the manager is subject to a double level of control:

• Internal controls: are analyses and monitoring that the operator is obliged to perform on a regular basis throughout the entire supply chain, from capture to treatment, up to the distribution network.
• External controls: These are the inspections and sampling carried out by the competent health authorities (such as the ASP – Provincial Health Companies) to certify the suitability of water for human consumption.

This system ensures that the water reaching our meter is wholesome and safe. But its journey is not over yet.

The 'last mile”: the critical stretch where quality can change

From the meter to the tap begins what is called the 'last mile”: the water system inside the building. Responsibility for this section lies with the property owner or, in the case of apartment buildings and public premises, with their manager. It is now widely recognised that water quality can be significantly altered precisely at this stage. The risks can be of three types:

1. Biological hazards: Old pipes, unmaintained storage tanks, or stagnant water conditions can promote biofilm formation and the proliferation of microorganisms. Among these, the best known is Legionella, a bacterium that thrives in stagnant water conditions. The environments at highest risk are seasonal accommodation facilities such as hotels or holiday homes, where long periods of closure (several months) create ideal conditions for its growth. In domestic settings, the risk is generally lower but can occur in the presence of unused pipes or “dead legs” in the water system that are still connected to the mains. Transmission primarily occurs through the inhalation of contaminated aerosols.
2. Chemical hazards: Unsuitable or obsolete materials can release harmful substances. The most common case is old lead pipes, but corrosion can also release metals. Furthermore, poor management of any internal treatments (e.g. water softeners) can alter the chemical composition of the water.
3. Physical dangers: The detachment of sediment, rust, or limescale from the inner walls of pipes can cause turbidity, altering the colour and taste of the water and potentially carrying microorganisms.

A new era of responsibility: Legislative Decree 18/2023 and the figure of the GIDI

The new Legislative Decree 18/2023 has transposed the most recent European directives, introducing an approach based on risk assessment and management (in line with Water Safety Plans – WSP) and defining a key new role: the GIDI (Internal Water Distribution Operator).

When is the GIDI necessary?

The regulations identify priority buildings where the GIDI becomes mandatory, according to a precise classification:

• Health and social care facilities (category B): hospitals, rehabilitation and social welfare centres
• Accommodation facilities (category C1): hotels, farmhouses and airports
• Public and collective catering (category C2): company, public, private and school canteens
• Public buildings and institutes (Category E – Priority Buildings): residential buildings, offices, schools and commercial activities

For these priority structures, the GIDI is the responsible party for the internal water system and has the formal obligation to:

• Assessing and managing the risks of your plant
• Adopt preventive and corrective measures to ensure water quality
• Ensuring material conformity and proper maintenance

This means that the building manager (in priority E-category buildings) is no longer just a manager of expenses, but a genuine guarantor of water safety for residents. Similarly, the head teacher becomes responsible for the safety of the water supplied to students.

The chain of responsibility at a glance

To clarify, here’s who is responsible and for which section of the water's journey:

• Water Board Authorityguarantees the quality of the water from the source to the building's meter.
• Private homeowneris responsible for the maintenance and safety of the internal water system, from the meter to every single tap in their home.
• GIDI in priority buildings (Building manager, school principal, manager of a healthcare or hospitality facility): has legal responsibility for the internal water network of the building, including common areas, tanks and autoclaves. In buildings with multiple residential units, responsibility extends to the connection point of individual flats; in priority public and commercial facilities (categories B, C1, C2, E), it covers the entire system up to the delivery points.
• Food Business Operator (FBO – Food Sector Operator)is responsible for the internal water system of their business. This applies to restaurants, bars, canteens, and all businesses that handle food. If the water is treated (filtration, carbonation, etc.), the food business operator must ensure its safety in accordance with HACCP regulations.
• Public body managing water houses or public fountainsAs GIDI, it is responsible for the installation, maintenance, and safety of these systems within its territory.

DKR: The strategic partner for 'last mile” management”

While a homeowner's responsibility is limited to their private sphere, it is precisely in condominium, public, and commercial settings that the new regulations introduce precise and punishable legal obligations. And it is here, where the management of water quality becomes a formal responsibility and no longer just a good practice, that DKR intervenes as a strategic partner for food business operators (FBOs).

Our role is to specifically support these figures in their new and complex task, through a two-pronged approach:

• Provide the appropriate technology: our systems - which include office dispensers and Horeca sector, water dispensers for schools and the already mentioned water houses – they are designed to act as a final safety barrier. Installed at the point of use, they ensure that the water dispensed is always excellent, eliminating any contaminants released by the internal plumbing and thus protecting the operator from any risk.
• Offering expertise and regulatory support: we help our customers (such as Horeca business owners, school managers and public authorities) to understand and fulfil their new obligations. We advise on the drafting of HACCP self-control plans, establish certified and traceable maintenance programmes, and ensure that each plant always operates at peak efficiency, in full compliance with the law.

Water quality is a shared responsibility. Thanks to an increasingly stringent regulatory framework, it is now possible to guarantee maximum safety at every stage of its journey. Choosing a partners such as DKR means taking control of the 'last mile” in public delivery contexts, transforming a legal obligation into a guarantee of excellence for its citizens, employees, students and customers.