ISLANDERS are being urged to reduce their water usage amid the hot and dry weather – that could see temperatures of up to 30°C this weekend – with Jersey Water confirming that a temporary hosepipe ban is a “distinct possibility” this summer.
A spokesperson for Jersey Met said that temperatures had been “building day on day through to the weekend”.
They added that the Island “could” see 30°C on Saturday or Sunday.
“The winds are generally going to be light and we are going to have sunny conditions,” they continued, adding that Islanders should be aware of the heat and “plan ahead”.
“Think about your own wellbeing, but also your neighbours, the people you look after and your pets.”
This year, Jersey experienced its hottest June day on record with temperatures soaring to 33.4°C.
The previous hottest June record was 33.2°C on 17 June 2022.
That year, Jersey Water introduced a temporary hosepipe ban that lasted from August to November.
Mark Bowden, the utility company’s head of water resilience and emergency planning, acknowledged that this was also a “distinct possibility” this summer, with a decision most likely to be made next month.
“It depends on what happens between now and then,” he said.
“If it stays dry, we might make the call sooner, but if we get some rainfall then we will be in a better position.”
Jersey Water is also preparing to utilise its desalination plant to safeguard supplies.
“We have started the process up, but we don’t actually get production output from that for several weeks,” Mr Bowden explained.
He highlighted the importance of the utility company’s water efficiency campaign.
“We’re just looking for customers to minimise their usage as much as possible.”
Mr Bowden pointed out that there were a number of simple steps Islanders could take to achieve this, such as having shorter showers and not leaving the tap running while brushing their teeth.
“A lot of people making small changes can have a huge overall effect,” he added.
