ISLANDERS have expressed anger and disappointment after a new government-commissioned report confirmed that the area contaminated by PFAS chemicals near Jersey Airport is larger than previously believed.
The findings, revealed at a public meeting in St Brelade on Thursday, follow a 651-page hydrogeological study carried out by environmental consultancy Arcadis.
The £300,000 report confirmed that PFAS – so-called “forever chemicals” historically used in firefighting foam at the Airport’s fire training ground – had spread further west through groundwater and streams than earlier assessments had indicated.
Originally thought to be mainly confined to the area in St Peter beneath the runway, the PFAS “plume” has now been found to stretch further across the St Ouen’s Bay and Pont Marquet catchments.
The consultancy also revealed that PFAS levels appear to spike following heavy rainfall and de-icing activity on runways – evidence that chemicals are still being flushed into the surrounding environment.
At the meeting, the government sought to reassure Islanders that there is “no immediate risk to the health of the broader population” and confirmed it will begin contacting homeowners and businesses in the newly expanded contamination zone.
Officials explained that Jersey Water no longer draws from impacted water resources in St Ouen’s Bay and Pont Marquet and that properties that use boreholes for their water supply in the area will be offered individual health advice and guidance in the coming days and weeks.
Those assurances, however, did little to ease tensions in the room — with participants clearly concerned and impatient with what they perceived as slow progress and lack of decisive action.
One attendee said: “There’s no action. We keep hearing about recommendations, reports, research… but it’s all waffle. I’m asking: when are we going to see some action?”
The Arcadis report – based on four rounds of testing between July 2023 and May 2024 – also set out several possible remediation steps.
These included the targeted disposal of any contaminated soil, introducing treated water into the supply to flush out the PFAS, and creating barriers to prevent its physical spread.
But it also included a “do nothing” model, which estimated that without intervention, it could take until between 2050 and 2082 for PFAS levels in the area to fall within EU drinking water guidelines.
Environment Minister Steve Luce said he will now review the report in detail and set up a PFAS Steering Group, including representatives from government, Ports of Jersey, and Jersey Water to develop a formal response.
However, campaign group Water Awareness Jersey criticised the handling of the report’s release, saying that publishing the document online only as the meeting began had prevented Islanders from reading it in advance or preparing questions.
“This is unacceptable,” a spokesperson said. “People came to that meeting to engage, to ask questions, and to understand how PFAS contamination is affecting their water, their families, and their future. They were denied that opportunity.”
The group is now calling for a second public meeting to be held, with at least seven days’ notice and the report made available in full beforehand.
Jersey Water, meanwhile, said it “supports” the findings of the independent report and the need for action to remediate polluted water sources in the area.
In a statement, the utility company said: “Jersey Water’s mains supply is not affected by the hotspot of PFAS contamination and continues to meet all current EU and UK regulatory standards for PFAS.
“While Jersey Water took proactive measures to stop using its borehole in St Ouen’s Bay and a stream at Pont Marquet several years ago, the utility has stressed the need to resolve the contamination so it can once again use these important water sources for the Island’s supply.”
“The utility’s focus remains on investigating the most suitable PFAS treatment technologies for drinking water, drawing on the latest scientific evidence, international best practice and the forthcoming water quality regulatory standards that the Government of Jersey is due to adopt for the Island.
“Since the contamination was identified in the 1990s, the utility has installed three sections of mains to enable affected properties to connect to mains water.”
The Arcadis report and government response can be read at: gov.je/PFAS.
