Jersey Water has six ‘Raw Water Storage’ Reservoirs in the Island. These are Dannemarche, Grands Vaux, Handois, Millbrook, Queen’s Valley and Val de la Mare.
Storage Reservoirs (Raw Water)
Reservoirs collect and store the raw water that runs down from our streams and any extra water that is found in the ground. The water is collected from all different areas all over the Island and is then stored in the closest reservoir. All of our reservoirs have special equipment, which keeps an eye on water levels. Also samples are regularly taken for testing in the Company’s laboratory to make sure that the water is safe.
Do the reservoirs ever get too full and what happens if they do?
Yes, they do get full up when it rains a lot and some reservoirs get more water than others. But don’t worry, our reservoirs can share the extra water. If one gets filled up too quickly, the extra water is sent down long underground pipes to another that doesn’t have much water. When all the reservoirs in Jersey are full, they can hold enough water to give us around 120 days of supply to everyone in Jersey.
Did you know you can pop down and walk around our two biggest reservoirs – Queen’s Valley and Val de la Mare. Ducks and birds also love to visit our reservoirs. You can use our bird watching guide to try and spot them when you walk around but some are very difficult and like to hide in trees and bushes so you have to keep you eyes peeled!
Treated Water Storage Tanks (Clean Water)
To make sure there is always enough water for everyone to use throughout the day, we keep clean water in big tanks called ‘Treated Water Storage Tanks’ until it is needed. The tank then gets re-filled at night time when everybody is asleep and the middle of the day when you are at school.