2023-12-30 13:00:00
We can say that the situation took everyone by surprise. On Thursday, December 7, the intercommunal water company of Nandrin, Tinlot and surrounding areas (IDEN) announced that tap water was suspected of being polluted with PFAS, these “eternal pollutants” and, de facto, declared unfit for consumption food in six villages (Tinlot, Modave and Nandrin), which concerns around 2,000 households. A water sample from an individual, in Nandrin, carried out as part of the monitoring commissioned by Minister Tellier’s office, raised the alarm: PFAS pollution of 141 ng/liter (a rate exceeding the future standard, namely 100ng/l). These are the Armoulin and Marnave catchments which are concerned. Immediately, there is turmoil within IDEN which must face a crisis whose consequences have not yet been measured.
Cans distributed
The three municipalities concerned and IDEN will stand together and stick together. We must deal with the most urgent: first, inform people, which will not be done without difficulty, particularly with a Be-Alert message that is too widely distributed, creating confusion. Then we must supply citizens with drinking water. CILE water cans are made available to citizens on the Place de Nandrin and door-to-door in the small villages of Scry, Abée and Outrelouxhe, for three days. Time for the intermunicipal association to find a solution. In record time, it purges its network and fills the Scry water tower with “healthy” water from CILE, thanks to tanker trucks operating 24 hours a day.
Express construction site of a pipe
In two days, drinking water returned. But at the same time, to secure the network in a more structural way, IDEN is launching an express project: placing a new pipe in Abée to supply the Scry water tower with CILE water. In less than a week, the device was operational. At the same time, municipal authorities are wondering: how such a level of PFAS was found in the catchments of these three rural municipalities, far from any industrial activity. The hypothesis of an error in the analyzes is considered… But the ax falls on December 16: second opinions confirm the presence of these PFAS. A sledgehammer.
Find the source
Not only will it be necessary to find the source of pollution but also to consider a filtration system to revive the affected catchments. And where are we today? The power system put in place by IDEN is holding up. “The new supply through the village of Abée makes it possible to supply the Scry water tower. In order to cover peaks in water consumption during the holidays, we are also going to refill the tanks at the Villers station. le-Temple with a tanker truck which will run during the day, indicates Dominique Foulon, director of IDEN. We will also call on a subcontractor to improve the flow to the water tower, for safety.”
Just in time
The situation continues to be analyzed on a day-to-day basis and IDEN is still working on a tight schedule. “Because if the population has practically already forgotten the crisis, for our part, we are still in it for several weeks. Now that we have secured the water flows we need, we are entering the second phase: the implementation of a filtration system to revive the affected catchments.”
ISSEP on the spot
We will also have to determine the origin of the pollution, which will not be an easy task. “The minister’s office has designated the ISSEP institute (Editor’s note: Scientific Institute of Public Service) in Liège for this mission, continues the director. A person has already been mandated to come and identify the geography of the place, evaluate how to carry out surveys and analyses. The cases of PFAS pollution in Antwerp, Chièvres or Ronquières all have an industrial explanation, easy to determine. Here, we don’t know where or how to look. It will take several months at least…” Another battleground: the costs generated for IDEN to manage this crisis, colossal costs. “The financial burden is significant and we hope to have help. Meetings will begin between all stakeholders following the holidays.”
The worst crisis of IDEN with 2008
For IDEN, this is in any case the worst crisis in its history, following that of 2008, during floods which caused water cuts for 60,000 households in the region for several days. “This is even more serious because the consequences are more serious. PFAS are present in the water, in the catchments. The water will have to be treated and filtered.”
But here once more, IDEN proved that it knew how to react quickly. “We are a small, local intermunicipal company but we have shown that we are ultra-responsive. In two days, the entire network was purged and replenished with clean water. In one week, a new supply was installed with the help of the CILE. We have heard of the astonishment of the authorities regarding the speed of action…” A challenge all the more deserving as the crisis was accompanied by a wave of panic”powered by the media” and the population’s lack of knowledge on this complex subject. “People panicked when the future PFAS standards, which will not be in force until 2026, are five times stricter than what WHO scientists recommend.
Blood tests, yes but…
In the coming weeks, citizens will also be able to request blood tests to determine their concentration of PFAS in their blood. “However, how can we determine their origin given that these substances are found in our daily diet?, asks Dominique Foulon. In some foods, you can find up to 3,000 ng of PFAS per kilogram of food.
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