It said no upgrades have been implemented for 50 years despite recommendations being put forward in multiple reports stretching back to the 1970s.  

Most freshwater is electrically pumped from boreholes or wells, and Dr Norwich said testing currently is “very basic” and restricted to surveying commercial premises for coliform bacteria which indicate how sanitary the water is.  

There has also been “striking” evidence of boron and manganese in deep water in some parts of the island.

“Most recently test results have shown that there are occurrences of bacterial contamination of the water supply particularly where borehole water is shared, and it is unlikely that these limited test results represent anything other than all may not be well with the Sark water supply,” Dr Norwich said. 

“There is some data that some individual residents have paid for of more in depth water analysis that there are quite striking levels of other toxic elements such as manganese and boron in some parts of the island... these small amounts of data maybe be hinting at greater underlying issues and ones that could for example be affecting the health and development of small children which can occur in the presence of high manganese levels.” 

Pictured: Chief Pleas.

Dr Norwich said there’s also a severe lack of data for both infrastructure and health purposes, such as the number of boreholes, wells, their positions, and that of septic and effluent tanks for wastewater.   

“There is minimal bacteriological data concerning the water supply in its entirety and no data regarding the efficiency or otherwise of the many septic tanks nor the overall management of effluent tanks and how these may or may not be affecting the quality of water. 

“The Sark government has a responsibility to demonstrate that there is a supply of healthy uncontaminated water which reaches standards comparable with the other neighbouring islands and which are broadly comparable with standards found throughout the UK and Europe.” 

He said a qualified hydrogeologist from the University of Southampton is ready to do the work if approved by Chief Pleas. 

It would involve a scoping exercise and then a detailed analysis of the system to determine the quality of water and whether “there is an adequate water resource to support any growth in the permanent and visitor population in the future”. 

Policy & Finance Chair, John Guille acknowledged that “a secure water supply, both in terms of quantity and quality, is vital for sustaining life and promoting good health”. 

He added: “The recent Princes’ Foundation Report, June 2023, suggested that Sark could support a much greater population than it currently does. However, such a broad statement without supporting evidence is meaningless. In the case of the water supply a current hydrogeological assessment needs to be undertaken."

The matter will be voted on at the next meeting of Chief Pleas on 10 April.