CASE STUDY – BROMATE CONTAMINATION OF GROUNDWATER AND IMPACT ON THAMES WATER OPERATIONS

2

Background

New drinking water standard for bromate (2003) = 10 ug/l.

Bromate contamination of Hertfordshire Chalk discovered mid-2000

Groundwater pollution plume of some 20 km length from Sandridge to Middle Lee valley

Contamination impacts two Three Valleys PWS boreholes and several Thames Water boreholes (the Northern New River (NNR) wells)

3

Plume

10 kmKeyRed>500 ug/lOrange50 - 500 ug/lYellow10 - 50 ug/l

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Bromate at NNR wells

Bromate Levels in the NNR Wells

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

1-M

ay-0

11-

Jul-0

11-

Sep

-01

1-N

ov-0

11-

Jan-

021-

Mar

-02

1-M

ay-0

21-

Jul-0

21-

Sep

-02

1-N

ov-0

21-

Jan-

031-

Mar

-03

1-M

ay-0

31-

Jul-0

31-

Sep

-03

1-N

ov-0

31-

Jan-

041-

Mar

-04

1-M

ay-0

41-

Jul-0

41-

Sep

-04

1-N

ov-0

41-

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051-

Mar

-05

1-M

ay-0

51-

Jul-0

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-05

1-N

ov-0

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Mar

-06

DATE

CHADWELL SPRING

BROADM EAD BOREHOLERAW WATER

AM WELL END WELL RAWWATER

AM WELL HILL WELL RAWWATER

AM WELL M ARSH WELLRAW WATER

RYE COM M ON WELLRAW WATER

M IDDLEFIELD RD WELLRAW WATER

HODDESDON WELL RAWWATER

BROXBOURNE WELLRAW WATER

TURNFORD WELL RAWWATER

5

Bromate at Hoddesdon

Bromate Levels in the NNR Wells

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

1-M

ay-0

11-

Jul-0

11-

Sep

-01

1-N

ov-0

11-

Jan-

021-

Mar

-02

1-M

ay-0

21-

Jul-0

21-

Sep

-02

1-N

ov-0

21-

Jan-

031-

Mar

-03

1-M

ay-0

31-

Jul-0

31-

Sep

-03

1-N

ov-0

31-

Jan-

041-

Mar

-04

1-M

ay-0

41-

Jul-0

41-

Sep

-04

1-N

ov-0

41-

Jan-

051-

Mar

-05

1-M

ay-0

51-

Jul-0

51-

Sep

-05

1-N

ov-0

51-

Jan-

061-

Mar

-06

DATE

HODDESDON WELL RAWWATER

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Lee Valley system

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Recharge to New River from Groundwater Source

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Operational impacts

TW takes a Deployable Output (DO) hit at Hornsey if unable to use NNR wells – bromate contamination likely to be highest in drought years

DO impact on Hornsey = DO impact for London

Impacts on operational flexibility for Hornsey –Hornsey currently relies on well water dilution to overcome problems with river water source (turbidity, algal blooms, etc)

Hornsey serves a discrete area not easily served by other Works – risks of disruption to supply

9

Management to date

TW has a crude spreadsheet mass balance model for the NNR/New River system

Assumes a % growth factor year-on-year for NNR well bromate concentrations and suggests which wells can be operated each month

Situation reassessed continuously and modifications to suggested operating profile made

North London Artificial Recharge Scheme (NLARS) boreholes used to dilute bromate concentrations in 2003

No bromate exceedences at Hornsey to date

10

AMP4 (and beyond?)

AMP4 solution treatment at Hornsey

2 phases – pre-treatment (to allow more use of river water) by December 2006 and bromate treatment by December 2008 (RO formal basis of AMP4 submission)

Potential impacts of bromate on wider Lee Valley system via Northern Transfer Tunnel and bromate in River Lee – AMP5?

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Wider Impacts

12

Understanding (or misunderstanding?) the plume

Atkins commissioned to refine predictions for NNR wells

Short timescale, but did develop flow and contaminant transport models (Modflow/MT3DMS)

Significant problems modelling plume between Hatfield area and NNR (last 10 km of plume) –indicates bromate flow in discrete fractures

“scoping” calculations and modelling did provide some further insight (to be advanced with UCL)

13

Contaminated Land Regulations

EPA 1990 Part IIA – Contaminated Land Regulations

Focussed on source of contamination – contaminated land

Local Authority proceedings started in 2000

Special Site status declared in 2002 and passed to EA

Remediation Notice served in 2005

Appropriate Persons (2) have appealed

Remediation timescale ?

14

Conclusions/what can we learn?

Largest groundwater pollution plume in UK (?)

Major impact on water resources – drinking water quality, operational flexibility, DO

Thames Water (and Three Valleys Water) have already spent substantial sums on investigation and much more will be spent

We still don’t know how the problem may develop in the future and the wider impacts

The Regulations have proved a slow vehicle for delivering a solution which benefits the Water Industry

Just like the CWC vs ECL case, the issue of “foreseeability” arises