Veolia Concludes its Campaign to Detect PFAS in Drinking Water in France and Strengthens its Solution Offering
- Veolia takes stock of the presence of the 20 regulated PFAS in drinking water in France, anticipating the obligation of health authorities
- The Group has analysed more than 2,400 drinking water production points it manages, covering more than a third of the French population
- Veolia has decided to invest in an unparalleled pool of advance solutions, comprising more than 30 mobile treatment units, to provide an effective response in the event of pollution emerging in a given area
Veolia concludes its nation-wide testing campaign, launched in November 2023, to assess the levels of the 20 regulated PFAS in drinking water in France, using the quality thresholds in force. This campaign was carried out in anticipation of the health authorities’ requirement to include these parameters systematically in the routine tests from 2026 onwards.
More than 2,400 drinking water supply points managed by Veolia, covering more than 20 million inhabitants, were analysed. As a result of this campaign, Veolia can certify that over 99% of its drinking water outlets comply with PFAS standards.
In the few cases where quality limits were exceeded, Veolia played its part by supporting the local authorities in informing users about the quality of the water supplied, and in the action plan to restore the situation to normal.
In the context were 97% of French consider health to be the priority issue in local decisions regarding water, Veolia has the largest technology portfolio on the market to effectively treat all types of pollution in drinking water, including micropollutants such as PFAS.
The Group, with its proven feedback in many countries, particularly in the United States, relies on its industrial know-how and continuous innovation capacity to develop advanced filtration systems.
In France, Veolia has decided to invest in an advanced mobile intervention device that has more than 30 units including 25 mobile treatment units (MTU) and 6 mobile labs, which, where applicable, define the best type of treatment media for the detected micropollutants (such as activated carbon), to determine its quantity and the frequency of necessary filter replacement, as well as the associated cost.
For pollution requiring a more sophisticated and longer to implement treatment, such as nanofiltration or reverse osmosis processes, the group proposes a multi-stage action plan to remedy the problem without too much delay.
This approach enables Veolia to offer local authorities an optimal solution from both an economic and a technological point of view to guarantee high- quality water to users.
The results we have published encourage us to intensify our efforts in the fight against emerging pollutants such as PFA. As a pioneer in the treatment of water pollution, Veolia draws on its global expertise and innovation to offer solutions tailored to each region, both economically and technologically. This makes it possible to provide solutions that offer the best value for money, in order to protect the health of citizens and their purchasing power.
Estelle Brachlianoff, CEO of Veolia
“Our aim is to help our customers meet the challenge of drinking water quality by providing them, drawing on the strength of our technology portfolio and our expertise, with a range of solutions that can be adapted to each situation, taking account of local specificities and economic constraints. We use cutting-edge processes such as activated carbon and nanofiltration, as well as low-pressure reverse osmosis, while continuing to innovate and develop new treatment methods to anticipate future quality standards,” added Pierre Ribaute, CEO of France Water Zone.
About Veolia
Veolia’s ambition is to become the benchmark company for ecological transformation. With nearly 218,000 employees on five continents, the Group designs and deploys useful, practical solutions for managing water, waste and energy that help to radically change the world. Through its three complementary activities. Veolia contributes to developing access to resources, preserving available resources and renewing them. In 2023, the Veolia group served 113 million people with drinking water and 103 million with wastewater services, produced 42 terawatt-hours of energy and recovered 63 million metric tons of waste.