Preliminary findings from continuing trials show that Jersey Water has the potential to further reduce the amount of forever chemicals in Jersey’s water supply.
The end results of the PFAS water treatment trials are hoped to determine the appropriate long-term treatment for Jersey’s waters, as well as the cost.
While Jersey’s drinking water does currently match both UK and EU standards for levels of PFAS, it is expected that the Government of Jersey will introduce new regulation that will need to see a further reduction of these levels.
Different tests are being performed at different facilities
Augrès Water Treatment Works is testing liquid activated carbon within the existing treatment process, with early results showing a 33% reduction in 48 PFAS compounds being monitored, at higher treatment doses. This is being further reflected in the drinking water from this facility.
Handois Water Treatment Works is testing several smaller-scale pilot trials, with ion exchange, granular activated carbon, and G400+ all being tested. G400+ is a newer treatment medium designed specifically for the removal of PFAS.
The results from these trials are also promising, and enable the comparison of how these technologies perform in a containerised testing environment and their potential for full-scale treatment.
However, it is still too early in the trial period to know whether these technologies can meet future regulatory needs consistently and affordably. They need to run for at least 12 months in order to understand whether the earlier noted reductions in PFAS can be sustained under different seasonal conditions.
Also under examination:
- How long each treatment medium will last
- How waste would be managed and disposed of
- Operational performance
- Infrastructure requirements
- Technical feasibility
- The capital investment required
- Ongoing operating costs
Nearly £2m committed to the trials
Jersey Water has committed around £2m to these investigations for 2026 and 2027, and to building an appropriate evidence base.
Previously, engineering work has shown that meeting a low PFAS water-quality limit could mean creating a new treatment facility, which could cost around £140-£210m, and cause water bills to rise by 70-100%. This trial could lead to a much less expensive, but equally as effective solution.
Anna Staples and Jenni Hughes, strategic programme managers at UKWIR, wrote for INN earlier this month discussing the increasing importance and necessity of understanding PFAS in the UK and Ireland, and how the UKWIR’s work is contributing towards this.
They write: “PFAS represent one of the most complex, multi-faceted challenges facing the water sector today due to their extreme environmental persistence and resistance to conventional treatment. Rigorous scientific research can identify and quantify impacts and potential impacts on human and environmental health, and it can contribute to our water company members’ ability to take decisive, evidence-led action on these substances.”
Read more of their thoughts here.
