On 7 March 2026 Save Our Lands and River, sent a letter to Anna Burns, Area Director at the Thames Environment Agency. The letter addressed urgent concerns about the technical viability of the Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) scheme in light of the newly published PFAS UK Plan and its implications for water quality standards.
At the heart of the letter is a call for greater transparency and rigorous testing. SOLAR questions whether the Mogden pilot plant trials, central to Thames Water’s preferred approach, are adequately monitoring all 48 PFAS compounds now required by updated Drinking Water Inspectorate guidance. With the government moving towards statutory limits for these chemicals, the stakes for public health and environmental safety have never been higher.
Our letter urges the Environment Agency to share the latest pilot results and feedback, ensuring that bill-payer funds are not committed to a scheme that cannot meet the new regulatory threshold. It also highlights the need for “Best Available Techniques” and asks what contingency plans exist if the current technology falls short.