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Yorkshire Water Services Limited – AMP8 PFAS Strategy

Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended) (“the Act”): Section 19(1)(b)

Reference: YKS-2023-00009

Acceptance Notice:

The Drinking Water Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs :

  1. Is satisfied that Yorkshire Water Services Limited “the Company” in supplying water from all water supply systems (raw water assets, water treatment works and treated water assets), which are for the time being listed in the Annex to this Schedule of Works which may be at risk of breaching the wholesomeness and no deterioration standards due to PFAS concentrations. This means that the Company is likely to contravene its duties under Sections 68(1)(a) and 68(1)(b) of the Act and the requirement set in regulation 4(2)(b) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended) (“the Regulations”).
  2. Has notified the Company on 31 August 2023 that the Secretary of State is considering making in relation to the company an enforcement order under Section 18 of the Act.
  3. Notes that the Company has on 4 July 2024 given a new undertaking under Section 19 (1) (b) of the Act, to take the following steps by the dates shown.

Steps to be taken:

  1. Ensure that PFAS have been assessed as a hazard, as part of the regulation 27 Risk Assessment for the supply systems listed in the Annex to this Schedule, according to a Drinking Water Safety Plan approach and the Inspectorate’s latest guidance on the risk assessment of individual and total PFAS. Ensure that regulation 28 documents are reviewed (at least annually) and updates provided as necessary.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  2. Keep under review the company’s strategy for the protection of public health and for compliance with drinking water quality standards with respect to PFAS.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  3. Conduct surveillance, including sampling and analysis for PFAS in line with the Inspectorate’s latest published guidance on PFAS.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  4. Where there are new PFAS detections, or a change in the detected levels, conduct operational monitoring; sampling (and analysis) extended upstream of abstraction points into catchments and sub-catchments, and downstream through different stages of water treatment to the final water sampling location, to identify the source, concentration, and fate of PFAS compounds.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  5. Following on from step 4, of this schedule continue to conduct risk-based, enhanced, investigatory sampling (and analysis), where PFAS are detected in line with the criteria defined in the Company’s PFAS strategy.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  6. Undertake catchment characterisation and identification of PFAS sources (minimum requirements defined in DWI guidance), for example, product usage (existing data available and data gathering), catchment modelling with analysis of weather, surface and groundwater flows, catchment walkovers, identification of high-risk locations.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  7. Initiate and maintain regular engagement with relevant stakeholders, to ensure that catchment risk assessments are current.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  8. Participate in relevant research and development activities.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  9. Where PFAS are detected in a single final water (or downstream treated water) sample, or two or more raw water (water sampled from any point prior to the final treated water point at the water treatment works) samples in a supply system not currently listed in the Annex to this undertaking, submit a change request to the Inspectorate to add that supply system to the Annex, unless a mitigation plan has already been developed for the water supply system.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  10. Maintain and continually review the company’s PFAS strategy.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  11. For all sources that fall into Tier 3, design, develop and implement mitigation to reduce PFAS concentrations in drinking water to at least Tier 1 concentrations, with a high priority.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  12. For all sources that fall into Tier 2, design a proactive and systematic risk reduction strategy which shall include a prioritised mitigation methodology to progressively reduce PFAS concentrations in drinking water.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of the undertaking.
  13. For all sources that fall into Tier 1, design a basic mitigation plan, which can be implemented should concentrations increase, or toxicological or other information change that requires mitigation be delivered.
    Date: 31 March 2030

Reporting:

  1. At regular intervals provide the Inspectorate with reports on progress made with carrying out the steps set out in the Measures being delivered. Reports are to include at least the following details:

a. All sampling and analysis data from the monitoring of raw and treated water in the supply systems named in the Annex.
b. Details of the remedial steps that comprise the programme of work including commencement and completion dates for investigations, design, tendering, construction, and commissioning.
c. Current state of progress with the steps referred to in 1.b. above.
d. A summary of progress with the ongoing measures contained within the steps to be taken section.
e. A statement of implications of any slippage of the programme and details of activities planned to bring programme back on target.
f. Whether the company has any other reason to believe it may not be able to meet any of the key dates set out in this Schedule.
g. The latest version of the company’s PFAS strategy.
h. Evidence of no PFAS detections above the Tier 1 limit in a supply system for one year, and evidence of the mitigation plan, in order to remove the supply system from the Annex.
Date: Annually for the duration of the Undertaking. Reporting periods are Jan – Dec. Reports to be submitted by 31 January each year that the Undertaking is in place.

  1. Continue to test at an enhanced frequency for PFAS for a period of 12 months following commissioning of any work associated with the Action Plan to demonstrate the effectiveness of the remedial measures taken.
    Date: 31 March 2031
  2. Provide a final report to the Inspectorate on the efficacy of the remedial measures taken as part of the PFAS strategy. Include as evidence for closure for this scheme, appropriate documentation to confirm that the actions set out in this Schedule of Work have been taken and that the company’s PFAS strategy is in place.
    Date: 30 April 2031

Further Details of this Acceptance Notice:

  1. The Secretary of State is satisfied that Yorkshire Water Services Limited has given and is complying with an undertaking to take all such steps as appear to the Secretary of State for the time being to be appropriate to secure or facilitate compliance with the requirement of regulation 4(2)(b) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended).

Authorised by the Secretary of State to sign in that behalf.

Nicholas Adjei
Deputy Chief Inspector, Drinking Water Inspectorate
1 November 2024
Reference: YKS-2023-00009 v2

 

Annex to Schedule for YKS-2023-00009 – Yorkshire Water Services Limited

Undertaking in respect of PFAS


Supply System Name


Population of zones within system


Risk Assessment Reference (name of Regulation 28 Report or Supply System Reference)


ALBERT / HALIFAX


153372


YSAI00130555


AUGHTON


95909


YSAI00130881


BARNSLEY GRID


205604


YSAI00130874


BARNSLEY PENNINE


63551


YSAI00130873


BILTON


41825


YSAI00162809


BLACKMOORFOOT


87151


YSAI00130867


BOROUGHBRIDGE


15819


YSAI00130895


BRIDLINGTON


86964


YSAI00130863


CALDER IMPORT EXPORT


74349


YSAI00130872


CANTLEY


82966


YSAI00130886


CATTERICK


32966


YSAI00130900


CHELLOW


412336


YSAI00130844


CLIFTON


135562


YSAI00130888


DEWSBURY


136394


YSAI00130868


EAST NESS/HOWE HILL


38156


YSAI00130862


EMBSAY/SKIPTON


69104


YSAI00130848


ETTON/NEWBALD


57231


YSAI00130864


EWDEN


20053


YSAI00130876


FIXBY


85671


YSAI00130869


GARFORTH & ELMET


76292


YSAI00130890


GRAINCLIFFE


158055


YSAI00130845


GRID


104595


YSAI00130884


HARROGATE


154667


YSAI00130894


HEATON


58276


YSAI00130846


HOLMBRIDGE


36559


YSAI00130628


HOOBER


140996


YSAI00130879


HULL


350591


YSAI00130865


KEIGHLEY

75668


YSAI00130847


KELD HEAD


16392


YSAI00130860


KILBURN/YEARSLEY/HUBY


23615


YSAI00130859


LANGSETT


148790


YSAI00130875


LEEDS HIGH LEVEL


350941


YSAI00130891


LEEDS LOW LEVEL


247925


YSAI00130892


LEVEN


20373


YSAI00162810


LONGWOOD


73092


YSAI00130870


LOXLEY


72305


YSAI00130877


MOONSHINE


25080


YSAI00130878


NORTHALLERTON


47065


YSAI00130897


NUTWELL/HATFIELD


123650


YSAI00130887


RIVELIN


260214


YSAI00130880


RUSBY WOOD


51900


YSAI00130871


SCARBOROUGH


107407


YSAI00130858


SELBY


214678


YSAI00130883


SWALEDALE


2965


YSAI00130901


TADCASTER


8891


YSAI00130889


THORNTON STEWARD/WENSLEYDALE


26683


YSAI00130899


TINSLEY


102305


YSAI00162808


WAKEFIELD


225539


YSAI00130885


WETHERBY


29766


YSAI00130893


WHITBY


34431


YSAI00130857


YORK


212902


YSAI00130866

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