United Utilities Water Limited – AMP8 Wickenhall PFAS

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

Reference: UUT-2024-00003

Version Number: 1

Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): United Utilities Water Limited, with registered number 02366678 (hereinafter called ‘the Company’).

Assets Affected:

Asset Name	Reference
Blackstone Edge IR	C033b
Rooden Impounding Reservoir	C033c
Wickenhall WTW	T033
Counthill WSZ	Z245
Sholver WSZ	Z241

Table 1: List of assets affected and associated reference numbers

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 22 February 2023, which states that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from Wickenhall WTW (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
Inadequate treatment process to prevent PFAS compounds entering supply.	PFAS	T033F033319402 T033F033A319402

Table 2: Table of the hazards, hazardous events, and/or parameters covered by this Notice, including the Hazard I D numbers and the description of risks.

3. 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 surveillance, including sampling and analysis for PFAS in line with the Inspectorate’s latest published guidance on PFAS.
   Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
2. Continue operational monitoring; with sampling (and analysis) extending 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 this Notice
3. Continue risk-based, enhanced, investigatory sampling (and analysis), where PFAS are detected.
   Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
4. Maintain regular engagement with relevant stakeholders, to ensure that catchment risk assessments are current.
   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. Confirmation of solution to address the PFAS identified in raw water to ensure final water is reliably at a concentration of less than 0.01 micrograms per litre.
   Date: 31 March 2026
2. Complete the planning, design and procurement programme of works to install the chosen solution.
   Date: 30 September 2027
3. Complete construction, installation and commissioning of the chosen solution as defined by confirmation of solution step reference – (b)1.
   Date: 31 March 2030
4. Complete training of all operators in the new solution and update of all the relevant Quality Assurance procedures.
   Date: 30 June 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: 30 November 2024
2. Implement, and keep under continuous review, the audit strategy defined in measure (c)1.
   Date: Following completion of measure (c)1. onwards.

(d) Not to supply water for regulation 4(1) purposes from Wickenhall WTW, or not to so supply unless the specified conditions below are satisfied:

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. Provide a report to confirm the process solution as defined in confirmation of solution, as specified in (b)1.
   Date: 30 April 2026
3. Provide a report to confirm completion of remedial steps that comprise the programme of work including commencement and completion dates for investigations, design, tendering, construction, and commissioning, as specified in measure (b)2.
   Date: 31 October 2027
4. Provide a report to confirm completion of construction and commissioning the process solution as defined in confirmation of solution step reference – (b)3.
   Date: 30 April 2030
5. Provide a report on completion of the training of operators and update of all the QA procedures as defined in QA update step reference – (b)4.
   Date: 31 July 2030
6. Submit the audit strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in measure (c)1.
   Date: 31 December 2024
7. Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.
   Date: Within 1 month of a revision
8. 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
9. Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off.
   Date: 30 April 2031

Further Details of this Notice:

4. Any product or substance used as a result of the requirements in this Notice must comply with regulation 31.
5. 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.
6. 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
11 September 2024
Reference: UUT-2024-00003