JERSEY Water has said that it welcomes a new legal standard proposed by the government for a toxic family of chemicals found in mains water – although taxpayer funding will be needed to achieve it.
Environment Minister Steve Luce is asking the States Assembly to agree that the Island’s Water Law be updated to make it a legal requirement that the total sum of four types of PFAS does not exceed four nanograms per litre within five years.
The current sum of PFOS, PFOA, PFNA and PFHxS, according to the latest water quality report by the utility is 12 ng/l – meaning that the utility will have to cut the amount of these ‘forever chemicals’ by two thirds by 2031.
PFAS is a collective name for thousands of man-made carbon chains that were added to everyday items such as floor tiles, frying pans and firefighting foam, due to their ability to repel heat, oil and water.
However, dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ due to their inability to break down in the environment or human body, they have been linked to several health conditions, including kidney cancer, high cholesterol and infertility.
Of 48 PFAS compounds tested by Jersey Water, eight are present at trace levels in drinking water.
Reacting to the 4 ng/l limit, which was recommended by an independent panel of scientists advising the government on its response to PFAS contamination, Jersey Water said: “We welcome the clarity of the Government of Jersey’s proposed regulation for PFAS. We have been calling for a specific limit for PFAS since 2019 and remain committed to playing our part in delivering it.
“The proposed new standard of 4 ng/l would be among the strictest in the world and is considered by independent experts to be a ‘precautionary measure’ to future-proof the Island’s water supply, rather than a response to any issue with the current mains drinking water supply, which remains safe to drink.
“Consistently guaranteeing water quality that is at or below this limit will require treatment infrastructure that does not currently exist in Jersey. We are looking at options for a new treatment facility and will most likely need to reconfigure both the untreated and treated water supply network.”
The utility firm added: “In the short-term, we are imminently due to start full-scale trials at our Augrès treatment works for liquid powdered activated carbon . We expect this to deliver reductions in PFAS concentrations as a potential interim solution, but to achieve the 4 ng/l limit will require investment in other treatment.
“Longer-term, we have already assessed more than ten treatment options and identified granular activated carbon and ION exchange as the only proven, suitable technologies for Jersey. Pilot trials at our Handois treatment works will start shortly and are expected to take 12 to 18 months to verify the effectiveness of the treatment.”
It continued: “Once we have completed the pilot trials, we will then need to begin the process of securing the necessary funding from the Government of Jersey, followed by the technical design, site selection and acquisition, planning consent, procurement, construction and commissioning of the new treatment infrastructure, including the reconfiguration of the water supply network.
“Given the scale and complexity of this work, delivering a permanent treatment solution will be a multi-year process. The overall timeframe will be determined by the funding, regulatory, technical and delivery requirements.”
‘PFAS treatment’ is one of the long-term infrastructure projects included in the government’s ‘Investing in Jersey 2026-2050‘ strategy, which was published last July. While listing projects, it does not allocate any specific funding.
Jersey Water has allocated £2m of its own money in its five-year strategy up to 2030 to fund the pilot studies. There is no further funding for PFAS within the strategy’s £48m budget.
The proposed law change has received a cautious reception by campaign group Water Awareness Jersey.
In a letter to the JEP published today, the group’s chair Paul Le Claire writes that while the new legal standard “appears to be progress”, the proposal comes before the government’s scientific advisers have published their full findings.
He added: “Where is the comprehensive Islandwide PFAS action plan – the strategy connecting water treatment, source control, monitoring, remediation, and long-term public-health protection?
“Locking in costly treatment pathways before the environmental framework is complete risks committing islanders to technology that could be outdated before it is operational.”
The group is also calling for PFAS filtration units to be fitted in schools and public buildings.
