health
‘Forever chemicals’ surge during pilot of Thames Water plan to combat drought
Exclusive: utility company wants to draw off tens of millions of litres of water a day from Thames and replace it with treated effluent
TL;DR
- Thames Water's water recycling scheme pilots showed toxic 'forever chemical' levels surged to 13 times the legal limit.
- The scheme involves replacing abstracted river water with treated sewage during drought periods.
- Internal documents reveal rapid increases in perfluorooctane sulfonate (Pfos), a suspected carcinogen, during pilot tests.
- Thames Water stated meeting legal limits would be 'operationally challenging' and expensive.
- The treated water also contained high levels of iron, which could detrimentally impact the river.
- Campaign groups and local representatives oppose the project due to environmental damage concerns.
- The Environment Agency previously rejected a similar scheme and is conducting rigorous environmental assessments.
- Thames Water claims the pilot data is not indicative of operational releases and supports a ban on Pfos, paid for by manufacturers.