Household water

One of our most important resources is water. Good household water is harmless to health, tastes good, is clear and colourless, and is suitable for its intended purpose. Household water is monitored by regular sampling, ensuring that the individual consumer connected to the public water supply has good quality drinking water. 

To ensure the quality of domestic water, quality standards have been set with regard to health as well as quality recommendations. The Decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (1352/2015) defines the quality requirements and monitoring needs for domestic water.

Section 16 (in Swedish and Finnish) of the Health Protection Act defines household water as follows: 

• All water intended for drinking, cooking, or other domestic purposes, whether the water is supplied through a distribution network, from a tank e.g. car or boat, in bottles or cisterns, or if the water is collected with the user’s own devices
• used in food premises under the Food Act for the manufacture, processing, or storage of food or placing of food on the market.   
  

Natural mineral water or water used for medicinal purposes is not considered as domestic water, nor is it water used exclusively for clothes washing or cleaning, for sanitation purposes, or other equivalent purposes. 
 
The quality requirements and control examination of household water by small units are defined in Decree  of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (401/2001). The regulation applies to installations supplying less than 10 m³ of household water per day or for the needs of less than 50 people.