JERSEY could still meet a recommended target to reduce levels of a toxic chemical found in drinking water without spending more that £200m on a new treatment plant, a former Chief Minister is arguing.
Deputy Kristina Moore said that, instead, £40m would cover the cost of installing ‘reverse osmosis’ technology in every home and business, ensuring that Jersey complies with a standard for PFAS within a five-year timeframe recommended by an independent panel of scientific experts.
PFAS – a family of chemicals linked to causing cancer and other illnesses – is present at trace levels in water in Jersey. It was used in everyday items such as frying pans and floor tiles but the Island has a particular ‘hotspot’ in the west because it was an ingredient of firefighting foam used at the Airport.
Although Jersey’s drinking water comfortably meets both EU and UK standards for quality, the experts – who were employed by the government to guide it on PFAS-related action – recommend that the Island adopts a statutory limit of 4 nanograms of PFAS per litre and this should be achieved with five years.
This standard is a third of the current level of PFAS in drinking water, which is 12 ng/l, and is among the strictest limits in the world, putting the Island on a par with Sweden.
Environment Minister Steve Luce is now seeking to put this limit into law, prompting Treasury Minister Elaine Millar, who represents the interests of utility Jersey Water, to suggest an alternative, staggered introduction.
This is because, she argues, the ‘4 ng in five years’ standard is premature and would be excessively expensive if introduced.
Although welcoming a legal PFAS standard, Jersey Water has said that Deputy Luce’s plan would require a new treatment works, which could cost up to £210m and more than double the cost of bills for customers.
Deputy Millar is asked the States Assembly to back a 10 ng/l standard until April 2033 and 4 ng/l thereafter.
However, Deputy Moore has formally suggested an alternative: bringing the date that 10 ng/l switches to 4 ng/l forward to January 2030, so within the five-year timeframe.
She said: “It is understood that the figures suggested by Jersey Water – circa £200m – for installing a system to treat all mains water is considerable. If that is not achievable, other routes can be explored and implemented to remain within the timeframe and prioritise the health of Islanders.
“While this was not the preferred option of the scientific panel, one way to achieve the 4ng/l target within the timeframe would be to install reverse osmosis drinking water supplies in every home and business premises in the Island.
At £550-800 per domestic unit, depending on quality, it could reasonably be expected that such a considerable requirement of about 70,000 units would secure a good price and we could aim to spend less than £40m.”
She added that it would be “a policy matter if this cost would be incurred by the public purse or through a user pays scheme”.
States Members are due to debate whether to bring into new regulatory standard for PFAS next week.
