Jersey Water to remove recycling waste

Jersey Water will be told to remove waste material placed on a St Lawrence field because of the possible environmental impact.

 

The water company operates a treatment works at Handois, La Rue Ville es Gazeaux, where it collects water from the reservoir and treats it for human consumption. Chemicals are used to remove particles from the water before it’s released back into the mains water supply.

 

This treatment process results in significant volumes of sediment or sludge as a by-product. These can contain zinc, copper, nickel, lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury and aluminium. 

 

If spread thinly on fields, it poses little risk. But Jersey Water proposed depositing significant volumes in a St Lawrence field. It applied for partly retrospective permission.

 

At today’s ministerial planning meeting, the Minister, Deputy Rob Duhamel refused the application. The Planning department had argued that there was too little evidence about the risk of contamination to soil and groundwater resources.

 

The company is to be asked to remove the waste material from the field within three months and landscape the area within six months.

 

 

The Planning Minister has supported an application by a smallholder to build a storage shed and staff accommodation at a Grands Vaux property because of the boost it would give to agricultural enterprise in Jersey.

 

The smallholder plans to develop a specialised commercial beef farm (producing ‘Augres beef’) on land near Grands Vaux Reservoir. He applied to extend the current buildings at Augres House and Hall, Oaklands Lane, and to build a new agricultural storage shed for fodder and farm machinery. He also applied to build two further units for staff accommodation on the site.

 

The Planning department argued that the plans warranted an exception to building in the green zone and would not harm the character of the potential listed building.

Agreeing the application at today’s ministerial meeting, Deputy Rob Duhamel said the enterprise was an important development that would contribute to the viability of the Island’s agricultural industry and had significant potential economic and environmental benefits for Jersey.