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Wessex Water Services Limited – AMP8 PFAS Catchment Management

Notice under regulation 28(4) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended)

Reference: WSX-2024-00004

Version Number: 1

Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): Wessex Water Services Limited, with registered number 02366648 (hereinafter called ‘the Company’).

Assets Affected:

  • All catchments related to the water treatment centres listed in Annex 1 of WSX-2023-00003.

Details of this Notice:

  1. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (‘the Inspectorate’) has received a regulation 28(1) report of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended) (‘the Regulations’) from the Company dated 31 May 2024, which states that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from catchments (and associated assets as applicable) that could constitute a potential danger to human health or could be unwholesome.
  2. Consequently, this Notice is served on the Company by the Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State, under regulation 28(4) for the assets listed above, for risks associated with:

Description of Risk

Hazard/ Hazardous Event/ Parameter

Hazard I D

Contamination of raw water from PFAS

PFAS (H067)

Eg. RSKASMT-0000007142 H067 C56060

Table 1: Table of the hazards, hazardous events, and/or parameters covered by this Notice, including the Hazard I D numbers and the description of risks.

  1. The Company are required to satisfy the following requirements.

The date given is that until or by which the requirements must be maintained or satisfied, as appropriate.

Requirements:

(a) To maintain the following measures for the period specified in each case:

  1. Continue catchment investigations to better understand the source(s) of PFAS in the catchment. Review the PFAS risks from the catchment investigations and continue to understand catchment management opportunities and control measures.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  2. Risk-based Regulatory and operational monitoring of PFAS in the raw water and final waters as defined in our PFAS Strategy document.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  3. Maintain catchment risk assessments for PFAS.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice

(b) To review, revise or make operational the following measures, by the dates specified in each case:

  1. Develop a conceptual, hydrogeological model for all catchments related to the water treatment centres listed in Annex 1 of WSX-2023-00003 sources.
    Date: 31 March 2030
  2. Undertake stakeholder engagement as described in our PFAS Strategy document.
    Date: 31 March 2030
  3. Develop and undertake a risk-based, PFAS catchment monitoring strategy, informed by the output of conceptual modelling in (b)1.
    Date: 31 March 2030

(c) To audit whether the measures have been effective by the following means:

  1. Define an audit strategy to monitor the effectiveness of the measures specified in sections (a) and (b).
    Date: 31 October 2024
  2. Implement, and keep under continuous review, the audit strategy defined in measure (c)1.
    Date: Following completion of measure (c)1. onwards.
  1. Not Applicable

(e) To provide the following information in the time and manner specified below to enable monitoring of progress towards the mitigation of the risks:

  1. Provide a progress report annually.
    Date: by 31 January each year.
  2. Submit a report to confirm the completion of measures (b)1, 2 and 3.
    Date: 30 June 2030
  3. Submit the audit strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in measure (c)1.
    Date: 30 November 2024
  4. Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.
    Date: Within 1 month of a revision
  5. Submit a report in the event that any completed measures of this Notice need to be altered in any way, for any reason.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  6. Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off.
    Date: 31 December 2030

Further Details of this Notice:

  1. Any product or substance used as a result of the requirements in this Notice must comply with regulation 31.
  2. Under regulation 28(6) the Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, may by notice served on the Company, revoke or vary this Notice.
  3. Failure by the Company to comply with this Notice may result in enforcement proceedings under section 18 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended).

Signed

 

Nicholas Adjei
Deputy Chief Inspector, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
27 August 2024
Reference: WSX-2024-00004 v1

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