Severn Trent has awarded an AMP8 contract for PFAS catchment investigations with an estimated value of £800,000 (excluding VAT).

The water company are looking to understand sources of PFAS in support of PFAS catchment investigations as part of its AMP8 programme. The services will focus on two Tier 2 surface water catchments - surface water feeding its Whitacre and Church Wilne Water Treatment Works respectively with a view to understand risk at the works now and in the future.

Services to be provided under the contract include:

• Desk-based review of water quality and catchment risk data
• WQ monitoring throughout the catchments
• Targeted PFAS sampling in surface water, sediment, and wastewater
• Sampling of effluent and influents of large wastewater treatment works
• Sampling up / downstream of possible PFAS discharges into rivers
• Flow monitoring and integration with water quality data, building on data availability from EA flow monitoring
• Forensic analysis and fingerprinting of PFAS sources (including compound breakdown analysis) and comparison with potential sources
• Mass balance modelling and conceptual catchment understanding
• Evaluation of mitigation options including feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability
• Stakeholder engagement planning and support
• Provision of spatial data for GIS-based Catchment Risk Assessment

Severn Trent is keen to explore what is controlling variation and concentrations, and what mitigation actions may help to reduce PFAS levels in these catchments and their potential effectiveness. This information will be used to plan the necessary level of PFAS removal required at water treatment works in these catchments now and for the future, and work towards less reliance on energy intensive removal / destruction techniques.

The objectives of the work are to:

• understand where PFAS of concern are originating from considering both current and historic activities in the catchments
• understand how PFAS levels may change in the future
• understand what is controlling PFAS concentrations and understand concentration variability
• assess mitigation strategies to reduce reliance on energy-intensive treatment methods
• review what mitigation options are available to reduce PFAS levels and at what cost - including attempting to reduce the use of carbon and intensive energy systems such as GAC.

The work will also include the review of water quality data available from 2022 to 2025 plus outputs from Severn Trent’s catchment risk assessment, stakeholder engagement (where shareable) and its AMP7 investigations

Severn Trent is also keen to explore what is controlling variation and concentrations, and what mitigation actions may help to reduce PFAS levels in these catchments and their potential effectiveness.

Severn Trent will use the information to plan the necessary level of PFAS removal required at water treatment works in these catchments now and for the future, and work towards less reliance on energy intensive removal / destruction techniques.

The work also aims to further develop the water company’s stakeholder engagement activity, fulfilling commitments in Drinking Water Inspectorate guidance as well as working with stakeholders to reduce sources in the catchment.

Arcadis Consulting (UK) Ltd has been awarded the contract - earliest date the contract will be signed is 26 March 2026.

Current estimated start and end contract dates are 1 April 2026 to 1 April 2028, with a further possible extension option up to 4 April 2030