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The plant responsible for turning sea water into drinking water can now be switched off after producing nearly 500,000 million litres, thanks to an "exceptionally wet" start to November.
Following a long dry spell, the £8,000-a-day desalination plant based at La Moye started running on 1 August - the first time it had been used for water resource purposes in more than 10 years.
While it was initially only expected to run until the end of September, an unseasonably mild autumn and lack of rain meant that drinking water supplies needed to be topped up for longer.
However, Jersey Water confirmed this week that, after producing around 497,539 million litres of fresh water for islanders in its longest operational run in many years, the plant would now be turned off thanks to torrential downpours at the start of the month.
The reservoir is now at 72% - above its 10-year average – with the downpours providing a 7% boost across the past seven days alone.
CLICK TO ENLARGE: An illustration of the processes involved at the desalination plant.
It also means the hosepipe ban - which saw islanders threatened with penalties of up to £2,000 for those who knowingly ignore it – has been lifted.
Thanking customers for their cooperation, Jersey Water CEO Helier Smith said: "The effect of the restrictions coupled with the operation of the desalination plant have meant that we have been able to conserve water resources during what has been an exceptionally dry period.
"It is now the right time to lift the restrictions as the effects of the hosepipe ban are much lower during the winter due to less garden watering taking place."
"However," he added, "We must remain mindful of the need to preserve water resources by not wasting water as our reservoir levels continue to recover.
"Current forecasts suggest that the winter will be drier than normal and with ground water sources depleted during the drought, there is the real risk of the need for further restrictions in the spring and summer should resources not fully recover or if there are further periods of hot weather or drought. We will continue to monitor the situation closely over the coming months."
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£8,000-a-day desalination plant up and running for first time in decade
Pictured top: Jersey Water CEO Helier Smith at the quarry pool, which holds seawater before it goes through the desalination process.
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