29 March 2016
The Environment Department and Jersey Water are continuing to monitor the quality of surface water (streams and reservoirs) and ground water (boreholes and wells).
This follows the recent detection of pesticides – Oxadixyl (historic), Metribuzin and Linuron (currently used) – in routine tests of stream water prior to treatment.
Jersey Water is managing the situation by continuing to select and blend water resources from different reservoirs. This ensures that drinking water remains safe and that levels are below the drinking water limits.
The Environment Department has taken 55 additional borehole samples since 14 March 2016 and sent them to a UK laboratory for testing, which takes, on average, ten days. Results so far indicate that all sampled boreholes are within the World Health Organization’s advisory safe health limit.
The remaining results are expected at the end of this week (week ending Friday 1 April 2016) and will give the Department a clearer idea of where to focus for further testing.
The Minister for the Environment, Deputy Steve Luce, Environment Department officers and Jersey Water are meeting farming representatives again later this week to discuss pesticide use.
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