JERSEY Water has taken its first steps towards upgrading the Island’s ageing desalination plant as Islanders are warned not to rely on water processing as an answer to drought.
The utility company is recruiting a team to help deliver what it describes as one of the biggest infrastructure projects in its history.
Jersey Water is seeking a senior project manager, project manager and project officer to help deliver the major upgrade, which is intended to increase the plant’s output by 50%.
The recruitment drive comes as Islanders are being warned not to rely on desalination as an answer to drought, with the existing plant only able to meet around half of the Island’s daily water needs.
Jersey Water said the new team would help strengthen the Island’s water resilience as well as drive forward other infrastructure projects.
The desalination plant has been operating since 1970 and was upgraded in 1999 to use reverse osmosis – a process which removes salt from seawater.
Jersey Water’s head of water resilience Mark Bowden said: “While the current plant has served the Island well as an insurance policy against drought, it is crucial that Islanders make water saving part of everyday life rather than relying on desalination.”
The water supplier is planning major improvements which would increase the plant’s daily output by 50%, from 10.8 million litres to 16.2 million litres.
Subject to planning approval, construction is expected to take at least two years.
Mr Bowden explained: “As part of our 2026-2030 strategy, we are making essential upgrades to the plant to help the island cope with more extreme droughts.
“In a worst-case scenario, our forecasts show the Island could face water shortages of as much as 8.6 million litres a day by 2035.
“The current plant, most of which is more than 40 years old, can only meet around half of the Island’s daily water needs.”
Despite the prolonged dry spell, Mr Bowden said the “trigger points” for drought had not been met this year.
Reservoirs are currently at 71% capacity. Last year, levels fell as low as 57% during a particularly dry October.
Jersey Water has meanwhile urged households and businesses to reduce their consumption, warning that broken pipes and leaking taps can waste huge amounts of water.
Other recommended measures include only running dishwashers and washing machines with full loads, using covers on swimming pools, installing water-efficient appliances and hand-washing woollen items.
Water-saving tips can be found online at jerseywater.je/savewater.
