Jersey Water defers tariff increase in response to Coronavirus

Jersey Water has announced that it is deferring planned tariff increases as part of a package of measures to mitigate the impact of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) on Jersey’s water supply.   The tariff increase of 2.7% was due to take effect on 1 April 2020 but will now be deferred for at least three months to 1 July 2020.

Helier Smith, Jersey Water’s Chief Executive, said: “Washing hands thoroughly and often and maintaining hygiene is critical in protecting against the spread of Covid-19.  We have deferred our tariff increase to allay any concerns by customers over the amount of additional water they may be using as they practise good hygiene.  We are conscious that we all have a role to play in containing the spread of the virus and the important role that water plays in our daily lives, particularly now, with the need for heightened hygiene standards.  We would encourage any customer who has concerns about the impact of any additional water use on their water bill or ability to pay, to get in touch with us by phone so that we can address their concerns.”

Following the first confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the island, Jersey Water has invoked its contingency plans designed to ensure the continued supply of water to Island homes and businesses.  The Company’s incident response team is reviewing the situation daily and has already taken measures to mitigate the risks presented by the spread of the virus and continue business as usual.

Helier Smith said: “We are in a strong position to respond to the developing situation and protect the water supply which is essential to island life.  We have developed organisational and team plans designed to maintain business as usual for consumers so they can continue to rely on Jersey’s high-quality water supply.”

“We will follow official guidance from the Government of Jersey and will communicate any changes to the customer facing side of our business, should that be necessary, via our website and social media channels.  We would ask that customers wishing to contact us do so by giving us a call on 707300 or via our website www.jerseywater.je where they can pay bills, set up direct debits, advise us of changes of address and much more.”

Jersey Water has today published its 2020 charges for water. From April 2020, prices for water and standing charges will increase by 2.7%. This is the equivalent of approximately 3 pence per day for an average household and in line with the September 2019 RPI of 2.7%.

The Company is committed to keeping any price increase to a minimum and has applied a policy of maintaining price increases at or below the cost of living in all but 2 of the previous 20 years. Over the past ten years, the price of water in Jersey has decreased by 4.7% (allowing for the effects of inflation) representing a reduction on average household bills of £14 per year.
Helier Smith, Chief Executive of Jersey Water, said:
“We work very hard to limit the impact of continuous and significant upward inflationary cost pressures on customer bills and have done this successfully over the past two decades. All the while, ensuring that we continue to make substantial investment in improving water quality, developing the Island’s water supply infrastructure and delivering high quality water with a high standard of service to the customers and the community we serve.”

“During 2019, the quality of the water supplied was very high, with an overall compliance rate of 99.97%. Our 2019 customer survey confirmed that Jersey Water continues to perform significantly better than the utilities sector in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index published by the Institute for Customer Service and we were among the best performing in customer perception of value for money for the service we provide.”
“A significant focus of Jersey Water’s efforts during 2020 will be on finalising our water resources management plan. During the year we will be publishing the plans we are developing to address potential future water shortages. These will almost certainly include measures designed to reduce demand by improving water efficiency in the home and reducing the amount of water that is wasted.”

“Customers don’t need to wait for our water resources plan to begin the journey to becoming more water efficient, if they haven’t already done so. Everyone can save money on their bills and reduce their water consumption by following the tailored, customer specific water savings advice available using the water savings engine on Jersey Water’s website. Jersey Water also provide free water saving devices to help reduce consumption and bills, these can be ordered directly through the savings engine on our website (www.jerseywater.je/save-water).”

“Looking to the future, it is clear that the effects of climate change and population growth will have a dramatic effect on water resources, both in Jersey and across the world. There has never been a more compelling time for us all to become more aware of water we consume, the ways in which we can minimise wasted water and reduce our consumption. Doing so will help keep bills down for customers and help ensure the long-term sustainability of the water supply upon which we all rely.”

Don’t get caught out by frozen pipes as the temperature drops, take action now. Jersey Water main supplies will not freeze, frozen pipes will mostly occur on your property. If you have no water and suspect you have a frozen pipe, as precautionary measure contact your plumber and shut off your water supply at your internal stop tap, this is most likely found under the kitchen sink. If the frozen pipe has burst, when it defrosts it will cause flooding in your home.

If you are confident that the pipe or fittings have not burst, slowly thaw the pipe with hot water bottles or a towel soaked in hot water, starting at the end nearest the tap.

Responsibility for pipe work

As a precaution locate your internal stop tap now to ensure you can turn it off, if needed.

What you can do now to protect yourself is to wrap rags and or plastic bags around your outside taps and pipes that are exposed.
Fix anything that may be overflowing.
If you have a water tank in an unheated roof or loft space, open the loft trap door to allow warm air from other parts of the house to circulate.

Here are some simple ways to reduce the risk of problems occurring:

Repair dripping taps and faulty ball valves.
Check the lagging on pipes and tanks and improve it where necessary – this will help to stop pipes freezing in the first place.
Check that loft insulation is thick enough to withstand cold weather, and is in good enough condition.
Keep the house warm – block out draughts.
Lag all external pipe work (e.g. garden taps).
In very cold weather, open the loft trap door to allow warm air from other parts of the house to circulate.
Leave the heating on while you are away from your home, to help prevent pipes freezing or, if you don’t have central heating, consider draining down the system while you are away.
Ask a friend or relative to visit your home while you are away – so a burst pipe may be found in a reasonable time.
If you increase the insulation in your loft area make sure you also increase the insulation to water pipes and storage tanks. Whilst increasing the degree of insulation in your loft space will help keep your house warmer, your loft space will become colder, which could place water pipes and storage tanks at bigger risk of frost damage. This can be avoided by ensuring pipes and tanks also receive additional insulation.

Jersey Water and Jersey Electricity have partnered to fund one of the biggest tree-planting initiatives the Island has ever seen in a move to safeguard biodiversity, offset carbon and help Jersey towards its aim of being carbon neutral by 2030.

Working together with the National Trust for Jersey and Jersey Trees for Life, the two utilities are providing £40,000 to plant around 6,000 trees on over eight hectares of land (20 acres) next to existing woodland at Mourier Valley.

National Trust Lands Manager Jon Parkes, who is jointly managing the project, says: ‘It is without doubt the biggest tree-planting programme the National Trust has undertaken as our projects are usually for around 100 to 150 trees at a time.’

The first 700 trees have already been ordered and planting is scheduled to begin in December. The Trust expects the project to take three years to complete. The area to be planted covers around 40 vergées of land owned variously by Jersey Water, The National Trust, The Crown and the Jersey Government.

Jon Parkes added: ‘At present, the planting list contains mostly native species such as Common Oak, Wild Cherry, Bird Cherry, Hazel and Silver Birch with a few exceptions to hopefully suit the exposed conditions and provide additional resources for birds and local wildlife, such as Rowan and some conifers such as Scots Pine and Monterey Pine.’

Jersey Electricity CEO Chris Ambler said: ‘We are fully supportive of the Government’s carbon reduction aspirations for the Island. As a responsible business, we have invested heavily in our undersea cables to France and helped reduce Jersey’s entire carbon emissions by more than a third in the last two decades. The French supply is a mix of one third certified renewable hydro-power and the rest nuclear – providing Islanders with a virtually completely decarbonised electricity supply. We will continue to invest in solar, wind and eventually tidal power as these energy sources become more commercially viable.

‘With a zero-carbon target to aim for, we believe that Jersey Electricity, working with respected environmental spartners like Jersey Water, the National Trust and Jersey Trees for Life, can play a leading role in affecting positive change for good. It is clearly important that the Island starts a programme of action as soon as possible and we believe this project is a small but important step that helps our community start the vital journey to deliver a zero-carbon future. Once completed, we aim to have public trails through the woods for the public to enjoy this breath-taking valley.’

Jersey Water CEO Helier Smith said: ‘Jersey Water is delighted to be working with the National Trust for Jersey, Jersey Trees for Life and Jersey Electricity to help return the beautiful Le Mourier Valley and coastal headland to the woodland that it once was, securing improvements in biodiversity and helping Jersey on its journey to carbon neutrality by 2030. This important project is a perfect example of organisations working together to address the important climate change issues that affect us all and being able to do so at a scale that is a first for Jersey.’

National Trust CEO Charles Alluto added: ‘We are grateful to both Jersey Electricity and Jersey Water for their generous support on this important project. Unfortunately, woodland cover is sparse in Jersey. In 2010 tree cover was estimated at 7% compared with 12% in the UK and 28% in France. Many trees were felled during the occupation and, when combined with the impact of Dutch Elm diseases and the Great Storm, this has led to a sparsity of mature woodland cover in the Island, which in turn has an impact upon our biodiversity.

‘The Trust acquired 40 vergées of arable land on the top of the eastern slopes of Mourier Valley in 2009 and has since planted more than 8,000 hedging plants. This winter we had planned to plant 1,000 trees on the eastern edge of the valley to help restore the once wooded valley sides. This new funding from Jersey Electricity and Jersey Water, as well as our partnership with Trees for Life, takes this restoration programme to a whole new level while providing an important, tangible carbon-offsetting focal point for Islanders now and for years into the future.’

Environment Minister Deputy John Young has supported the project by granting the Trust permission for a change of land use on approximately 14 vergées of relatively poor agricultural land, subject to some grassland being maintained alongside the new woodland. The land borders two areas already planted by Jersey Trees for Life and will adjoin existing woodland at the bottom of the valley to produce seamless woodland across the valley.

Deputy Young said: ‘This is an excellent example of community initiatives to further our carbon reduction objectives. It will also be beneficial to biodiversity which sadly is declining in the Island. I look forward to hearing of further environmental initiatives.’

Watch the video of the project here.

Jersey Water is calling for a Water Strategy for Jersey within the forthcoming Island Plan and consideration of the need for additional water storage as part of its submission for the Island Plan consultation.

The Jersey Water submission supports the Company’s Water Resources and Drought Management Plan  which is currently under development and due to be published in 2020.  It identifies that by 2045, in severe drought years, there will be a forecast shortfall of 8 Million litres per day between the demand for water and the water available for use.  The shortfall is driven principally by the effects of climate change and predicted population growth.

Jersey Water are considering a number of measures to address the shortfall both in terms of  demand management, including the encouragement of water efficiency and further leakage reduction, and additional resources which may include more desalination, extension of existing reservoir storage, water recycling and the creation of new reservoir storage.

In its submission, Jersey Water is recommending that a Water Strategy should be incorporated as an explicit element of this emerging Island Plan. The Water Strategy should have as much significance as minerals, energy, waste or transport strategies, which are all incorporated into the current Island Plan. The Strategy would translate the Island’s needs for additional water resources into land-use issues which can be woven-in to the Island Plan and balanced with other infrastructure needs to provide a robust and forward looking strategic position which protects both the quantity and quality of water.

Jersey Water also recommends that the Island Plan include a review of the future of Gigoulande Quarry, in St Peter’s Valley, as a potential water storage reservoir when extraction is complete.  The quarry, which is currently earmarked for inert waste landfill, is estimated to have a capacity on completion of slightly less than Val De La Mare reservoir (approximately 30% of existing water storage capacity), is well-located close to existing water infrastructure and is within a high yielding and reliable water catchment.

Helier Smith, Chief Executive of Jersey Water, said: “As an island with only 120 days of water storage when full, we are vulnerable to water shortages and drought.  We need to begin work now to address the supply demand deficit identified in our Water Resources Management Plan.  It is important that the Island Plan recognises this strategic issue that will have multi-generational implications.  The development of a Water Strategy within the Island Plan will help us ensure that Water Resources are considered alongside all of the other issues that need to be dealt with.” “The potential repurposing of Gigoulande Quarry as a water storage reservoir, represents a unique, once in a lifetime, opportunity to secure a key piece of infrastructure for the benefit of the island that, if ignored, will never present itself again. Filling the quarry with inert waste provides a temporary solution for solid waste management; filling the quarry with water provides a permanent water resource for the island for centuries to come.”

https://www.jerseywater.je/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Island-Plan-2021-2030-Jersey-Water-representation.pdf

Island Plan 2021-2030 Jersey Water representation

Rouge Bouillon from Midvale Road to the Robin Hood will be closed from Saturday (6th April) for two weeks for the second phase of our mains renewal. This first phase of work between Queen’s Road & Midvale Road was completed in February. Phase two will continue from Midvale Road to the Robin Hood and is a full road closure.

We are undertaking the work during school holidays to minimise disruption, this work is part of a combined utility works, to prepare the road ready for resurfacing.

Please follow the diversion signs.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused whilst undertaking this essential work.

Download PDF Map

Jersey Water has today published its financial results and water quality report for 2018. The Company, which is 74 per cent owned by the States of Jersey, is reporting a profit before tax of £3.8 million.

The hot and dry summer in 2018 contributed to an increase in turnover of 7.8% to £17.2 million. Operating profits were in line with budget and totalled £4.57 million. The reduction of 7% on 2017 was driven by a planned increase in depreciation charges following the upgrade of the desalination plant, operation of the plant in December and an increase in employment costs to address regulatory requirements, strengthen technical expertise and manage employee succession.

The Company invested a total of £3.91 million in its infrastructure, including the replacement of 2km of water mains and the extension of the mains network by 2.5km, connecting 340 properties to mains water. Leakage levels in 2018 were the lowest to date and fell by 19% on the previous year following the completion of a targeted leakage reduction programme.


Water quality for the year remained very high with a compliance rate of 99.99% (2017:99.98%). There were no instances of pesticides or nitrates exceeding regulatory limits in treated water. Customer satisfaction scores increased on the prior year with an overall, industry leading score of 86.5% (2017:83.2%).


The Company completed work on phase 1 of its Water Resources Management Plan (the “Plan”) to assess whether sufficient water resources are available to meet the projected demand for water over the next 25 years. The forecast indicates that population growth and other factors will increase the demand for water over that period by 17% and, as a result of the increase in demand and effects of climate change, action is required in order to maintain resilience of the water supply to the effects of serious drought. Phase 2 of the Plan is underway and will identify the action the Company may propose to take, including both demand reduction measures and the potential for additional resources, such as further desalination, reservoir storage and additional water sources.


Jersey Water’s Chief Executive, Helier Smith, said: “We are proud of our financial and operating performance during 2018 and in particular the high quality of the water supplied and excellent customer service feedback we received. I am very grateful to the team at Jersey Water who have worked hard to deliver our business objectives and who go above and beyond to provide the best service to our customers.
“Water quality remains an important topic for debate in Jersey and it is pleasing to see that treated water remains fully compliant with regulations for nitrates and pesticides. We continue to work closely with the States of Jersey and the farming community and make progress in improving the quality of untreated water in our catchment areas.”


“The work on the Water Resources Management Plan is vitally important and will help us ensure that we have sufficient water resources for generations to come. The previous plan in 2010 resulted in island wide water metering and the extension of the desalination plant. In 2019, we look forward to developing our detailed action plan and consulting with Islanders on the measures needed to manage the demand for water and increase the water resources at our disposal.”

Rouge Bouillon will be closed on Monday (18/2/19) for two weeks for the first phase of mains renewal. This first phase of work will replace the mains that was laid in 1937.

We are starting during school holidays to minimise disruption, this work is part of a combined utility works, to prepare the road ready for resurfacing.

This first phase of the works will be between Queens Road and Midvale road, one lane will be kept open, east bound. Phase two will be at Easter, also during school holidays, and will continue from Midvale road to Robin Hood.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused whist undertaking this essential work.

Jersey Water is urging Islanders to check their properties for water leaks, particularly outside taps, empty buildings, out-houses or farm buildings. Following this week’s freezing conditions the Company has seen a notable increase in the demand for water overnight, following the thaw that is likely to be from small leaks on private pipe work at customer properties across the island.

Helier Smith, Chief Executive said “We are maintaining the supply of water to the network and have increased the output from our treatment works by 10% this morning, this represents an additional 2.5Ml per day, to keep up with this spike in demand. We still have the capacity to increase output further and we also have plenty of water in store. We are confident that this increase in demand is directly linked to the overnight thaw following the exceptionally cold weather we have experienced. Our systems indicate that the likely type of leakage is from a number of small leaks rather than a single large leak. Our leakage detection, network and operations engineers are monitoring the situation and will continue to do so over the weekend.

Our Customer Services team have been busy today with customers calling for advice on leakage at their properties, this has included leaks on building sites and unoccupied buildings, our advice is always to turn off the internal stop tap and call a plumber. We would urge Islanders if they know of friends or neighbours that may have been away, or have empty buildings or outdoor supplies to check for leakage.

Due to the deteriorating weather conditions we have taken the decision to close our Customer Services & Administration Offices. Our Emergency Response line will however be manned 24/7 so if you need us, we will be there, whatever the weather!

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