‘Forever chemicals’ surge during pilot of Thames Water plan to combat drought
Summary
Thames Water tested a water recycling system that adds treated sewage to the River Thames during droughts. The tests showed dangerous levels of toxic "forever chemicals" that went far above legal limits, despite the company's claims that the project would not harm the river.Key Facts
- The water recycling plan will pump treated sewage into the Thames to help during droughts.
- Tests found levels of a toxic chemical called PFOS were up to 13 times higher than allowed by law.
- PFOS is part of a group of chemicals known as "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment and may cause cancer.
- Standard sewage treatment does not remove PFOS and similar chemicals.
- Thames Water plans to move up to 75 million litres of water daily using this system during droughts.
- The company admits it will be very hard and expensive to keep PFOS levels within legal limits.
- The pilot tests also showed high iron levels in the treated water, which could harm the river.
- The project's costs have risen from an estimated £350 million to over £500 million due to technical challenges.
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