Jersey Water urges cuts as reservoirs' levels fall

Jersey Water has urged islanders to conserve water as forecasts suggest they could use up to 160 million litres over the next week.

With no rainfall recorded so far in August and stream levels dropping, water reserves are now 5% below the 10-year average and are continuing to fall, it said.

The utility has already added 100 million litres to the supply via its desalination plant, which can produce up to 10.8 million litres per day, about half of the island's daily demand.

Jersey Water operates six main reservoirs, which together can store about 2.7bn litres of untreated water, enough to supply the Island for about 120 days under normal conditions.

Mark Bowden, head of water resilience, said: "We currently have enough water for 80 to 85 days, but with temperatures rising, demand is expected to increase.

"We're asking islanders to use only what they need and avoid waste.

"Thanks to everyone's efforts, we've so far avoided introducing restrictions."

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