Jersey Water has begun using its 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, equating 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. The water company is 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. The plant can generate up to 10 million litres of water per day to provide critical support during prolonged dry periods. However, with a cost up ofwards of £5,000 per day to run and a megawatt of electricity, the utility is 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.”

While currently no water restrictions are in place for the Island, the company is continuing to monitor reservoir levels and daily demand closely, and are not ruling out the need for temporary use bans if conditions worsen.

Click here to read an Expert Focus article by Antonin Fradin, Head of Smart Operations and Assets for SUEZ Digital Solutions, which takes an in-depth look at how organisations tackle drought in an era of growing water scarcity.