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Guernsey Water is urging customers to cut back on their water use as reserves drop to 77%.
The utility has called on islanders for the second time, after water reserves fell below the 10-year average in July. It said restrictions “could still be needed” if the dry weather continues.
Guernsey Water said it would like customers to "think about the value of water" each time they use it. “Every time someone reaches for a hosepipe, they are taking a little bit more from the islands reservoirs.”
Pictured: Guernsey Water previously suggested islanders use watering cans rather than hoses to help reduce water use.
Islanders are asked to report leaks or anything “which they think could cause pollution”. Guernsey Water said leaks should be “easy to spot”. Reports can be sent to customer.service@water.gg
Guernsey Water Managing Director, Steve Langlois, said: “We are benefitting from the foresight of people that invested in increasing our ability to capture and store more water. This has put us in a better place right now than many across Europe, where water restrictions are already in force.
“Looking ahead our two immediate questions are how much rain will fall between now and next spring, and how much water we will use during that time? We cannot control whether it rains, but we do have some control over how much water we use, so we are asking everyone to think very carefully about their water use.”
Mr Langlois said that Guernsey needed to be “self-sufficient when it comes to the public water supply”.
“It is right that we have invested in capturing and storing enough water to cope with the dry weather we have experienced so far this year,” he said.
Pictured: Guernsey Water released a photo of Brickfield Quarry and urged people to consider their water usage.
Mr Langlois continued: “But we must never think we are immune to water shortages; we have experienced droughts in the past that would still require water restrictions if they were repeated today. Our plans suggest that on average this could happen once every 20 years.
“Restrictions could still be needed if the dry weather continues, especially if that is followed by a dry winter, as we saw between 1991 and 1992. We can all help reduce the chance of that happening by using water wisely.”
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