Drinking Water

Drinking water in the EU is regulated by Directive (EU) 2020/2184 on the quality of water intended for human consumption, i.e. the Drinking Water Directive (DWD) Recast. Water intended for human consumption is defined to include:

• All water intended for drinking, cooking, food preparation or other domestic purposes, regardless of its origin and whether it is supplied from a distribution network, from a tanker, or in bottles or containers;
• All water used in any food-production undertaking for the manufacture, processing, preservation or marketing of products or substances intended for human consumption.

This Recast was published on 12 January 2021 and repeals the previous DWD. The recast updates the quality standards that drinking water must meet and introduces a cost-effective, risk-based approach to the monitoring of water quality. The deadline for transposition for Member States was 12 January 2023 with the end of the transitional period for Member States to ensure compliance to Annex I, part B, for Chlorate, Chlorite, Bisphenol-A, Haloacetic Acids, Microcystin-LR, PFAS total, Sum of PFASs, Uranium per Article 2, being 12 January 2026.

Article 11 of the DWD Recast, minimum hygiene requirements for materials that come into contact with water intended for human consumption, is the most relevant section of the Directive for the Drinking Water content, as it specifically addresses materials and products in contact with drinking water. 

Although we are using the EU DWD for illustrative purposes in this content area, we have coverage across more countries as mentioned below. We will only include sources related to drinking water in contact with *Core Products.

This content does not cover Non-Core Products including, but not limited to, installations, plumbing systems, or articles used for the abstraction, treatment, storage, or distribution of water intended for human consumption.

Under our Drinking Water coverage, we also cover implementations of Directive 2013/51/EURATOM which lays down requirements for the protection of the health of the general public with regard to radioactive substances in water intended for human consumption. It lays down parametric values and frequencies and methods for monitoring radioactive substances.

Aderent’s coverage includes the following regulations, but not limited to:

• EU: Radioactive Substances in Water Intended for Human Consumption, Directive 2013/51/EURATOM
• EU: Methodologies for Testing and Accepting Starting Substances, Compositions and Constituents to Be Included in the European Positive Lists, Decision (EU) 2024/365
• EU: Positive Lists of Starting Substances, Compositions and Constituents Authorised for Use in the Manufacture of Materials or Products that Come into Contact with Water Intended for Human Consumption, Decision (EU) 2024/367
• EU: Procedures and Methods for Testing and Accepting Final Materials as Used in Products that Come into Contact with Water Intended for Human Consumption, Decision (EU) 2024/368
• EU: Procedure on Inclusion In or Removal from the European Positive Lists of Starting Substances, Compositions and Constituents, Regulation (EU) 2024/369
• EU: Conformity Assessment Procedures for Products that Come into Contact with Water Intended for Human Consumption and the Rules for the Designation of Conformity Assessment Bodies Involved in those Procedures, Regulation (EU) 2024/370
• EU: Harmonised Specifications for the Marking of Products that Come into Contact with Water Intended for Human Consumption, Regulation (EU) 2024/371
• Germany: Evaluation of Plastics and Other Organic Materials In Contact With Drinking Water, Evaluation Criteria, August 2024
• USA: Lead Free Pipes and Plumbing Products for Drinking Water, Rule, 40 CFR 141 and 143, September 2020, Use of Lead Free Pipes, Fittings, Fixtures, Solder, and Flux for Drinking Water, 85 FR 54235

We cover standards for our core products that are available from our partner Accuris. These are available through our Product Compliance Solution.

*Bottled water and related requirements, such as the labeling of bottled water, are not included as part of the Drinking Water content. Requirements for municipal water supplies, such as requirements for proper filtration, treatment, testing, etc. are not included as part of our Drinking Water coverage. Products such as water filters and water purifiers are not Core Products.

*Materials in contact with drinking water: Sources establishing requirements for materials, starting substances, compositions or constituents intended for use in contact with drinking water are covered. However, requirements relating solely to materials or articles used in excluded systems or applications (e.g. municipal water treatment, abstraction, storage or distribution infrastructure) remain outside scope.

*Products: Where a Source regulates products rather than materials generally, it is only covered where the requirements apply to Core Products.

Connection to other content:

Since the Drinking Water content specifically covers requirements for materials and Core Products in contact with drinking water, there will be some overlap with the Food Contact Materials content. While the sources specifically related to Drinking Water will most likely not apply to other food/beverages, there will be food contact material requirements that could apply to products and materials in contact with drinking water.