The Government of Jersey’s move to set up a PFAS Steering Group is a positive step in addressing the PFAS pollution around Jersey Airport, which has affected Islanders, properties and water sources, including some of our own untreated supplies.
As part of the Steering Group, we will support the Government and Ports of Jersey with their remediation efforts. We are already helping with testing private water supplies in the newly identified plume area and we are scoping, on behalf of the Government, the work to connect more impacted properties to mains water.
We welcome the Government and Ports of Jersey’s focus on Pont Marquet as a first step in their remediation activities. An important part of our supply infrastructure, we are eager for it to be restored. Our intention remains to only use this stream source and our St Ouen’s boreholes once the contamination has been resolved. However, if the Island faces a serious drought, these supplies may be needed but would only be used in conjunction with the desalination plant, to provide a dilution effect, ensuring that we keep our drinking water safe.
Although unconnected, we are very mindful that this particular PFAS pollution incident has raised questions over the safety of the Island’s mains supply. Drinking water remains 100% compliant with quality standards for PFAS set by the UK and the EU. Islanders can be assured that we regularly monitor and test both untreated and treated water, and an independent accredited laboratory in the UK certifies that our drinking water is on average nearly 70% below current safety limits for PFAS.
Nevertheless, we are actively exploring a range of water treatment technologies for PFAS, to see which are the most feasible to meet new water quality regulations that the Government intends to adopt for the Island. These include granular activated carbon, ion exchange, nano filtration and reverse osmosis. We are also considering the lead times and investment required for each solution, their ongoing operating costs and compatibility with our existing infrastructure, as well as their environmental impact and long-term benefits for our Island’s water supply.
We will continue supporting the Government and Ports of Jersey to address the effects of historic PFAS pollution around the airport, playing our part to protect the Island’s water supply for current and future Islanders.
