The European Parliament has approved in the plenary session hold the 15 December the revision text of Drinking Water Directive.

This new version will be effective 20 day after its publication on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU)and Member States will turn it in their internal regulation within 2 years.

For the first time, uniform requirements are set for materials in contact with drinking water, including plastic piping systems and within four years, a first European positive list of starting substances as well as procedures and methods for testing and accepting materials and products will be published.

Directive for drinking water application

The Directive application field will not be only for “before-water meter” systems, the text asks for the verification of the water from the tap and establishes also “desirable” requirements for the internal systems substitution where pipes made by lead are still present. The Commission, by this Directive, intent establish a common method for the evaluation of the rate leakage in the distribution systems (by the ILI index) with the aim to set up an “European” percent value of water leakage. Member States that will overstep such a value shall have to implement effective loss reduction policies to meet the established benchmark.