Islanders are being urged to collect and store rainwater over winter to help ease pressure on the island’s mains supply next year as part of a new campaign.
Jersey Water has partnered with four garden retailers – JFTU, Ransoms, Le Quesne’s and St Peter’s Garden Centres – to offer a 10% discount on water butts until 6 December.
With reservoir levels below average for the time of year and “uncertainty” over winter rainfall, the initiative aims to help households prepare for the drier months by using rainwater for gardens, ponds and car washing rather than treated drinking water.
Mark Bowden, Head of Water Resilience and Emergency Planning at Jersey Water, said: “We’ve been really grateful to islanders for getting behind our water saving campaigns this year and there has been keen interest from customers about different ways to save water, particularly over the winter months.
“If you have a garden, investing in a water butt is one of the simplest and most effective ways to collect rainwater to use during drier months, and it will also help reduce your water bill. Plus, rainwater is much better for your plants than tap water.
“If we can get people preparing now for next spring and summer, it should make a real difference, especially as we will need above-average rainfall over the winter to replenish our reservoir stocks.”
Islanders can also use Jersey Water’s free GetWaterFit app, available via its website, to track how much water they use at home.