Cambridge Water: Council knew of toxic water claim six days before residents

Contaminated tap water did not reach customers, a water company says

A council knew of toxic chemicals in a drinking water system six days before the situation was revealed by the media, it has emerged.

High levels of a contaminant were found in a Cambridge Water aquifer last year.

Those affected in Cambridgeshire first learned of the issue through media reports on 8 February.

South Cambridgeshire District Council has now revealed it "first became aware of the claims" on 2 February.

The council said it heard the next day that there was no risk to customers.

The Guardian first reported how Cambridge Water removed water which contained four times the legal limit of perfluorooctane sulfonate, which is part of the complex perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl family of substances, in June 2021.

However, the newspaper reported the company had not told more than 1,000 customers who were affected.

Cambridge Water said the water was blended with that from another source and the contaminants did not reach customers.

'Sought clarity'

Conservative Ben Shelton told a full council meeting that media reports "naturally" caused panic and concern, and asked when the authority first knew that there was a potential problem, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Brian Milnes, the council's cabinet member for environmental services, said the authority was contacted by a freelance journalist on 2 February and "immediately sought to gain clarity on this claim" from the water company.

It also sought guidance from the Drinking Water Inspectorate, [the] UK Health Security Agency and the Environment Agency.

"Replies of course were not instant and there is little official guidance on this topic available online," he said.

"Our aim was to gather facts to allow a proportionate and helpful response rather than simply responding with an immediate public statement, which may not have provided the clarity or reassurance for residents.

"Via email on Thursday, February 3, we received advice from Cambridge Water that the affected borehole had been taken out of service in June last year and that there was no continuing risk to customers."

On 18 February Cambridge Water said tests on 12 February had shown "unequivocally" that the water was safe to drink.

The company said that measurable levels of PFOS had been found in samples taken in 2021, but stressed the water had still been safe to drink.

It said it disconnected the Duxford Airfield aquifer from its network out of an "abundance of caution".

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