PFAS levels in tap water (FOI)

Request

What is the level of PFAS recorded in local tap water?

Does this vary by location, or are all drinking water supplies equally contaminated with PFAS?

Response

The 2021 Jersey Water Quality Water Report, linked below, details the PFAS levels in mains tap water.  Therefore, Article 23 (Accessible by other means) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

JW - Water Quality Report 2021 by Jersey Water (Issuu.com)

It should be noted that when private water supplies are used that it is the householders responsibility to control and test their own water supplies.  

The Government of Jersey does not routinely receive the test results in relation to private water suppliers, therefore this information is not held and Article 10 has been applied. 

However, where the government has undertaken PFAS testing to further their knowledge the results have been made available in the following reports.

2019 - Interim report 2019

PFOS interim report is published (gov.je)

2020 report 

PFAS and water quality in Jersey 2020 (gov.je)

The web links shown at the end of pages 17 and 18 of the 2020 report are currently not working, therefore, the relevant links have been provided below while the issue is resolved.

Page 17

8

Jersey Water Pollution risk map (arcgis.com)

9

Private Water Supplies: Essential information.pdf (gov.je)

10

Application to amend a water abstraction registration.pdf (gov.je)

Page 18

11

Jersey Water Pollution risk map (arcgis.com)

12

Private Water Supplies: Essential information.pdf (gov.je)

Articles applied

Article 10 - Obligation of scheduled public authority to confirm or deny holding Information

(1) Subject to paragraph (2), if –

(a) a person makes a request for information to a scheduled public authority; and

(b) the authority does not hold the information, it must inform the applicant accordingly.

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.