In brief: Jersey Water has restarted its desalination plant as total reservoir storage falls to 57% and continues to drop. The company is urging islanders to keep cutting their water use, warning that insufficient rainfall before the end of the year could create serious difficulties heading into 2027.
Reservoirs Running Low After a Dry Spring and Summer
Jersey Water has confirmed that the island’s total water storage stands at just 57% and is, in the company’s own words, “falling quickly.” The BBC reports that the firm has responded by restarting its desalination plant, which had already been in operation for two months earlier this year, during which time it helped boost supplies by more than 200 million litres.
Mark Bowden, Jersey Water’s head of water resilience and emergency planning, did not mince words about the outlook. “After such a dry spring and summer, if we don’t get sufficient rain before the end of the year, it could put us in a really difficult position going into 2027,” he said. He added that while some rain had fallen, “there is still a long way to go before the reservoirs recover.”
Islanders Asked to Keep Conserving
The good news, such as it is, is that Jersey residents have already been pulling their weight. Jersey Water says the conservation efforts it requested over the summer made a genuine difference, allowing supplies to last longer and avoiding the need for any formal restrictions. Bowden acknowledged the public’s response directly: “Those changes meant that our resources have lasted longer and we haven’t needed to introduce any restrictions. We really want that to continue, and we thank everyone for their actions, as those small changes have made a big difference.”
The company is now asking islanders to reduce their usage “as much as possible” once again, with no restrictions currently in force but the situation clearly being watched closely. The restart of the desalination plant provides a degree of buffer, but it is not a permanent solution to what is essentially a rainfall deficit built up over months.
What This Means for Jersey
For a small island with a finite catchment area and no connection to mainland water infrastructure, the margin for error is slim. A dry autumn would compound an already difficult position, and the reference to 2027 in Jersey Water’s statement is a reminder that reservoir recovery is not a matter of weeks but potentially of seasons. The desalination plant offers resilience, but it is energy-intensive and was never intended as a primary source of supply.
For now, the ask is simple and familiar: shorter showers, fuller dishwasher loads, and a general mindfulness about the tap. Jersey has managed without restrictions so far this year, and with continued cooperation from residents, there is every reason to hope that continues.
Source: BBC News
