Jersey Water has lifted the temporary use restrictions for all domestic customers with immediate effect. The Company would like to thank all Islanders for adhering to the Hosepipe Ban and helping save water to preserve reservoir levels following the exceptionally hot and dry summer.
Although October was also dry with just 76mm of rain (60% of the average rainfall for the month), November has seen an exceptionally wet start with 91mm in the first 9 days (the average for November is 115mm in total). The recent heavy rainfall has resulted in 7% increase in reservoir storage in the last 7 days alone. Reservoir levels now stand at 72% full, above the 10-year average. The desalination plant, which has been in continuous operation since 1 August, producing 497,539 million litres of fresh water will also be switched off this week following the longest operational run in many years.
Helier Smith, Chief Executive at Jersey Water said “I would like to thank all of our customers for their support and understanding since introducing water restrictions on 26 August. The effect of the restrictions coupled with the operation of the desalination plant has meant that we have been able to conserve water resources during what has been an exceptionally dry period.
It is now the right time to lift the restrictions as the effects of the hosepipe ban are much lower during the winter due to less garden watering taking place. However, we must remain mindful of the need to preserve water resources by not wasting water as our reservoir levels continue to recover.
Current forecasts suggest that the winter will be drier than normal and with groundwater sources depleted during the drought, there is the real risk of the need for further restrictions in the spring and summer should resources not fully recover or if there are further periods of hot weather or drought. We will continue to monitor the situation closely over the coming months.”
Customers wishing to reduce their water consumption and save on their energy and water bills can download the Jersey Water “Get Water Fit” app for tailored water-saving advice that will also save them money. Available from Jersey Water’s website https://www.jerseywater.je/save-water/.