Bristol Water has paid out more than £100,000 in compensation to customers who experienced supply interruptions after the discovery of cryptosporidium at its Clevedon treatment works in January.
The company has also confirmed the treatment works in the area is still out of service, while investigations into the incident are ongoing.
The parasite, which causes sickness and diarrhoea, was discovered in a raw water sample taken from a natural well in Clevedon. Bristol Water issued a boil water notice as a precaution to 7,000 properties and as part of its customer promise, has “proactively” paid out a total of £109,090.
It said it has compensated the “whole population” in the affected post codes as customers may have been affected by the boil notice.
Parts of Clevedon, previously supplied from Clevedon treatment works are currently being supplied from a mix of water from two of the company’s other treatment works.
Bristol Water said independent consultants are carrying out an investigation, including camera surveys of the Clevedon well to check its integrity and ensure no surface water is getting into it.
The investigation also includes a review of the well construction and operation; an overview of the surrounding geology and hydrogeology; a review of land use in the catchment and recommendations for further investigations.
Bristol Water said it is waiting for the consultants to issue their report on the investigation, while the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is continuing with its investigation into the incident, which is expected to conclude over the coming month.
A spokesperson for Bristol Water said the company will not put the treatment works back into service until its “absolutely confident” there will be no risk to public health.
“We do not have a specific date when the site will be returned to service. There is no pressing need since we are able to supply water to the area from our other treatment works.
“The treatment works will not be put back into service until we are absolutely confident that there would be no risk of the drinking water leaving the site posing any risk to public health. The health and wellbeing of our customers is always our highest priority.”
Bristol Water said it “always collects” feedback from customers and the company put out a survey after the boil water notice incident. Within 24 hours it received 110 responses and had an overall satisfaction rate of 70 per cent.
The spokesperson added: “The majority of our customers were satisfied with the communication we provided during the incident as well as the service we provided such as regular updates on our website and social media, interviews on local radio stations, leaflets through the door and automated phone messages. Those customers who are on our priority list were also provided with bottled water.”
In October last year, the DWI urged United Utilities to carry out a full review of its emergency and contingency plans in light of the cryptosporidium outbreak it experienced in 2015.