CONCERNS have been raised by an application to discharge groundwater from an area where a huge storage tank is currently being dug by the Airport into drains that channel surface runoff into St Aubin’s Bay.
Testing has identified PFAS in the groundwater, although the government’s Liquid Waste Management Department, which is making the request, say that these are trace levels which are not only within safe drinking water levels but also lower than levels in the stream that the groundwater will be pumped into.
PFAS is a group of manmade chemicals that a present worldwide which have been linked to several health conditions, including kidney disease, cancer and high cholesterol. It was added to everyday items such as waterproof clothing and frying pans because of its ability to repel water, heat, oil and grease.
It was also an ingredient of firefighting foam sprayed at the Airport, contaminating soil and watercourses in the area.
The proposed pumping of groundwater from a field to the north of the Airport runway is to support the building of a huge 20m-deep, 6,100 m3 tank that will store sewage which can then by fed under control to the Bellozanne Treatment Works.
It will allow new housing developments in the northwest to connect to mains drains.
However, campaign group Water Awareness Jersey has voiced concerns about both the permit itself and the timing around it.
Specifically, it has raised questions about how the application fits in with the work of a panel of scientific experts set up by the government to advise ministers of their response to PFAS contamination in humans and the environment.
Chairman Paul Le Claire said: “The application confirms PFAS is present in groundwater from the St Peter excavation and seeks permission to discharge up to approximately 285,000 gallons per day into the surface water system.
“Our concern is not simply that PFAS has been identified; it is that the application was signed on 3 April 2026, the PFAS Scientific Advisory Panel consultation closed on 24 April 2026, yet the application was not made public in the Gazette until 1 May 2026.
“That means the application existed during the consultation period but was not publicly visible before the consultation closed.
“This is directly relevant to the panel’s environmental report, which deals with PFAS groundwater movement, surface-water pathways, contamination routes and environmental receptors.”
He added: “We are also concerned that the application appears to rely on ‘below drinking water standards’ language when environmental standards for PFAS in streams, ponds and surface waters can be significantly stricter.
“We have now written to both the regulator and the PFAS Scientific Advisory Panel asking whether the panel was informed of the application before the consultation closed; whether the panel has seen the underlying PFAS test results; and whether this discharge scenario will now be considered in the final environmental report.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Infrastructure Department’s Liquid Waste Management team said: “We have made an application to discharge settled groundwater into the existing surface water network.
“This is common practice and if approved, it shall be controlled by specific permit conditions supplied by the regulator to ensure no detrimental effect upon the watercourse.”
It added: “Pumping settled groundwater to the foul sewer network is not required. It can add unnecessary strain to network and dilutes the sewage being discharge at Bellozanne which can have a negative effect upon the site process. The groundwater can be effectively managed onsite within the permit conditions.”
The application will be assessed by Infrastructure’s Regulation Department. Its head, Kelly Whitehead, told the JEP: “Under the Water Pollution (Jersey) Law 2000, if someone wants to discharge into controlled waters, they require a permit.
“When an application for a discharge permit is submitted, the proposal must be advertised in the Jersey Gazette in accordance with Article 10 of the Law. This provides an opportunity for any interested party to submit comments. No determination is made until the publication period has closed.
“All PFAS sampling results collected by the applicant on site prior to the commencement of works have been included in the Gazette notice published on Gov.je on 1 May and were also submitted as part of [the] Planning Application on 5 June 2025. These results will be considered as part of the discharge permit determination process.”
Islanders can comment on the application up to 28 May.
