We have started using the desalination plant, to bolster the Island’s water reserves, which are currently lower than average for the time of year.
Following one of the driest springs on record for both Jersey and the UK, coupled with a dry start to the summer, reservoir levels are down by approximately 140 million litres, which equates to roughly one entire week’s supply for the whole island.
Even though Jersey has had some rainfall in the past week, totalling 50mm in July so far, it has not been enough to put water supplies in a comfortable position for the rest of the summer. We are currently supplying at least 20 million litres to customers every day, and more than 24 million litres on hot days.
With the forecast for more dry weather, if it were to completely stop raining, the Island currently has enough water for 93 days, based on current customer demand.
To help boost supply levels, the desalination plant has produced 30 million litres of fresh water from seawater in the past week. While the plant can generate up to 10 million litres of water per day to provide critical support during prolonged dry periods, with it costing upwards of £5,000 per day to run and a megawatt of electricity, we are urging Islanders to make concerted efforts to save water.
Mark Bowden, Head of Water Resilience and Emergency Planning, commented:
“The recent rainfall has been very welcome, but we remain cautious and will continue to monitor conditions closely over the next month or so. Four water companies in the UK have already imposed hosepipe restrictions this summer and, although the situation isn’t currently as severe in Jersey, it remains unpredictable. Bringing the desalination plant into operation was a strategic decision to safeguard our water supply, but it’s a safety net, not a silver bullet. If we face more dry weather over the summer and into autumn and winter, we will need the collective efforts of the whole Island to make sure we have enough water. That’s why it’s important for every household and business to do what they can now to reduce wastage.”
Currently, no water restrictions are in place for the Island, but we are continuing to monitor reservoir levels and daily demand closely, and are not ruling out the need for temporary use bans if conditions worsen.
Islanders are being encouraged to follow simple water-saving tips to reduce their use this summer and save money, such as:
- Cutting showers from 7 to 4 minutes saves around 24 litres.
- Using watering cans instead of garden hosepipes and sprinklers, which use around 1,000 litres of water per hour, compared to 200 litres with a can.
- Skipping the rinse before using the dishwasher to save around 5-10 litres of water per wash.
- Avoiding washing cars, which typically takes between 200 and 600 litres of water.
- Turning off the tap while brushing teeth to save six litres of water per minute, or as much as 24 litres per day.
- Doing full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine – half loads use around three quarters of the water and energy of a full machine.
- Call a plumber to fix leaks – a dripping tap wastes up to 200 litres of water per day and a leaky loo up to 400 litres.
