Banned chemical level to change to get reservoir running again?

Monday 06 June 2016

Ministers are considering raising the levels of a banned chemical in the drinking water to get Val de la Mare reservoir back in action in time for the summer dry season.

Jersey Water want to raise the level of oxadixyl allowed in drinking water to 0.3 microgrammes per litre – a limit that would still be just 1% of the World Health Organisation’s advisory limit for the chemical.

The reservoir has been shut off since traces of oxadixyl – a banned fungicide that was used to treat food crops, golf courses and lawns – were found in March.

Val de la Mare is Jersey Water’s second-biggest reservoir, after Queen’s Valley, and holds up to 938 million litres of water at its peak.

The dispensation that Jersey Water has applied for would let them have up to 0.3 microgrammes of oxadixyl per litre of water for three years – that would be three times the current limit, but 100 times smaller than the WHO’s safe limit.

If Val de la Mare is brought back into service, Jersey Water will mix water from it with other reservoirs to dilute the traces of the pollutant.

The application is being considered by Environment Minister Steve Luce and Health Minister Andrew Green.

Deputy Luce said: “In order to allow Jersey Water secure mains water supplies in the event of a dry summer, I’m working with my counterpart in Health to consider Jersey Water’s application. We’re minded to grant it, but there’s a formal and necessary process to follow.

“This is not a step we will take lightly and my department and Jersey Water will be doing everything we can to ensure its use is limited, but this is a pragmatic response to the current ongoing situation.

“As I’ve said before, we will be addressing the longer term issue about the quality of our water because it isn’t acceptable, but in the meantime I want to assure people that ongoing testing shows our water is safe and clean.”