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‘Forever chemicals’ surge during pilot ofThames Water plan to combat drought

Exclusive: utility company wants to draw off tens of millions of litres of water a day from Thames and replace it with treated effluent

Read full story on The Guardian
Sandra Laville Environment correspondent27 Aug 2026, 05:00 amUpdated 3h ago1 min readEuropeUnited Kingdom
‘Forever chemicals’ surge during pilot of Thames Water plan to combat drought

United KingdomSandra Laville Environment correspondent

Exclusive: utility company wants to draw off tens of millions of litres of water a day from Thames and replace it with treated effluent

Levels of a toxic “forever chemical” rose to 13 times the legal limit during Thames Water pilots for a controversial multimillion pound water recycling scheme that will pump millions of litres of treated sewage into the River Thames during drought.

The data from the pilots is in stark contrast to public comments from Thames Water that their water recycling project in south-west London will not harm the riverine environment.

Levels of a toxic “forever chemical” rose to 13 times the legal limit during Thames Water pilots for a controversial multimillion pound water recycling scheme that will pump millions of litres of treated sewage into the River Thames during drought.

This report is published with credit to The Guardian. The wire sent a summary; open the original for any extra context. Read on The Guardian

Source: The Guardian · Sandra Laville Environment correspondent. Published 27 Aug 2026, 05:00 am.

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