Drought

What is a drought?

A drought is a period of unusually dry weather that persists for long enough to cause serious problems such as crop damage and water supply shortages. Droughts are a natural event that can happen at any time.

What is a Drought Plan?

Jersey Water monitors our water resources, water in storage and daily consumption. In especially dry periods or if we experience a drought we follow a Drought Plan.

The Drought Plan has 3 steps, these are put into place depending on the severity of the water shortage, the level of water in our reservoirs and the demand for water.

advertising campaign advising Islanders not to waste water and use water wisely
use of the desalination plant to add more water to our water resources
ban on the use of mains water for non-essential uses such as garden watering and car washing

How you can help

You can make a difference by doing little things everyday to save water, not just in the dry summer months but all year round.

At home

use a bucket to wash your car instead of a hosepipe
keep a jug of cool water in the fridge instead of running the tap until it gets cold
let your grass grow the shade helps the soil to retain water
re-use bathwater to water your garden
don't waste running water waiting for it to get hot, collect it and use it to water your plants

Jersey Water guide to using less water at home (size 241kb)

At work

use water efficient appliances
educate staff with posters about water conservation
install taps and showers that turn off automatically
use dual flush toilets
protect pipe work from damage and frost

Jersey Water guide to using less water at work (size 142kb)

At school

do not wash equipment in running water, fill the sink instead
report leaks and drips immediately
use watering cans instead of sprinklers or hoses in the garden areas
use timers on taps and showers in changing rooms
start a project on saving water

Jersey Water guide to using less water at school (size 1.42mb)

In the garden

collect rainwater to water your garden with
dig a little moat around tree's and shrubs to collect water
put a saucer under plant pots to prevent water running away
mulches such as woodchip, bark and gravel help prevent water evaporation

Jersey Water guide to using less water in your garden (size 444kb)

Water resources

We have limited underground reserves of water and no links to external water networks so we rely on the collection and storage of surface water for most of our mains supply. However our water storage is limited and rainfall is becoming increasingly uncertain so we need to be conscious and use water wisely at all times.

Our reservoirs, Queens Valley and Val de la Mare, store only enough water to supply our average demands for 120 days. Therefore a lack of rainfall throughout the year can severely affect our water supply.

Desalination Plant

The Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant can provide 6,000 m3 (megalitres) of water per day. The water is delivered into Val de la Mare Reservoir and blended with natural water, before being pumped to the treatment works.

This water provides only 25% of the summertime daily demand. By itself it cannot provide sufficient water for our needs but acts as an important stand-by for when our water resources are low.

Desalination Fact Sheet (size 228kb)