Jersey Water is closing access to its public reservoirs on Thursday in response to the severe weather that is forecast to hit the Island.
Val de la Mare and Queen’s Valley reservoirs will be closed to the public all day on Thursday, as a precaution. With public safety in mind, the utility is advising Islanders to avoid visiting the sites due to the large number of trees lining the footpaths.
Jersey Water is part of the Government’s emergency response planning group for Storm Ciaran. The utility is taking all necessary precautions to keep its employees safe and ensure the Island’s water supply infrastructure remains operational in the event that the adverse weather causes significant disruption to critical local services.
Helier Smith, Chief Executive of Jersey Water, commented:
“We are working with the Government and other agencies to prepare for the forecast high winds and rainfall. Our priority is to make sure that we can continue to provide our services to our customers and that our employees and Islanders are safe, hence closing our sites. We will be closely monitoring our reservoirs, treatment works and other infrastructure during the storm to ensure continuity of supply to the Island. Our operational teams will be on the ground across the Island to respond as required and support the emergency services, as part of our standard procedures for periods of severe weather.”
Jersey Water will assess on Friday whether to re-open its sites to the public.
The Jersey Water call centre will remain open as usual for customer calls to report any issues with their water supplies. Reports of flooding should be directed to the emergency services.