Jersey Water recently invited States Members and civil servants to attend the utility’s first webinar, which was to provide an update on the utility’s work to address the Island’s future water supply needs.
Making sure Jersey has a sustainable water supply is a priority for Jersey Water and a key aspect of the utility’s work is ensuring there are sufficient resources in place to provide water for generations to come.
By 2045, there is a very real threat that Jersey will not have enough water to meet the needs of the Island. With the uncertainty of climate change and the predictions of extreme droughts in the future, it’s a stark reality but one Jersey Water is working had to resolve.
In 2022, it became all too apparent how susceptible Jersey is to drought. Under Jersey Water’s current operations, we can store water for just 120 days, compared to Guernsey and the UK where water utilities can store more than a year’s supply.
With the forecast population growth and the very real threat of climate change, we need to make sure the Island has a resilient water supply.
Every five years, Jersey Water undertakes adetailed planning exercise to look at the Island’s future supply-demand needs and the holistic solutions that would help resolve the forecast water deficit. Currently the company is working on its latest Water Resources and Drought Management Plan, which covers the next 40 years to 2065 and beyond.
The utility’s aim is to take key stakeholders from Government on this journey, so that they are well-informed and this work can be considered as part of the wider Island Plan and water Strategy for Jersey.
During the 30-minute webinar, Helier Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Mark Bowden, Asset Manager and Jeanette Sheldon, Head of Water Quality provided context on:
- The context of long-term water resource planning for resilience
- Jersey’s specific challenges
- The work Jersey Water is undertaking to plan for the Island’s future water supply needs
- The timeframes of our plan
- Collaboration to meet Jersey’s future water supply needs
At the end of the session, there was an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.