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 The
supply of treated water in Jersey is governed by the Water (Jersey) Law
1972 (the law). The Environment and Public Services Committee (E&PS)
of the States of Jersey act as regulator under the law in respect of water
quality.
In 2003, the Law was amended to include a definition of
“wholesomeness” for water and the physical, chemical and bacteriological
paramaters necessary for water to be deemed wholesome.
The law requires that water supplied by the Company meets
the new parameters laid down for "wholesomeness” and also requires
the Company to submit details of its water quality monitoring plans to
the regulator for approval. The submission of the plans is followed up
by regular visits from the regulator to inspect monitoring results and
records.
 Where,
for whatever reason, it is discovered that water supplied does not comply
with the relevant quality criteria then the breach shall be assessed by
both the Company and the Regulator and remedial action taken where necessary.
In practice the amendment to the law has had little or no
impact on the operations of the Company. Prior to the new law coming in
to force the Company already operated to the high standards set out in
the Water Quality regulations applicable to England and Wales.
The amendment to the law also allowed, in certain circumstances,
a relaxation (or derogation) of certain limits (where it could be demonstrated
that there was no associated health implication). The Company has applied
for and been granted derogations in respect of nitrates, iron and manganese.
The law places a level of 50mg/l as the maximum allowable concentration
(MAC) of nitrates that should be present in treated water. The Company
has been granted a derogation allowing 33% of samples in any one year
to exceed the 50mg/ whilst none can exceed 70mg/l.
The derogation is necessary as the Company has no control
over the use of the land from which the water is collected. The use of
nitrogenous fertilizers by farmers results in nitrate pollution of the
island’s waterways. Until such time as water catchment management
areas are established (which will control the use of fertilisers in certain
areas), the situation is likely to remain unchanged.
The law places a level of 200 µg/l as the maximum allowable concentration
of iron in water. The Company has been granted a derogation allowing 5%
of samples to exceed the MAC with a maximum allowable concentration of
500 µg/l. The level is well within health limits but may impact
on the colour of the water at the tap. The derogation is necessary while
the Company replaces the old iron pipe work that is the main source of
iron problems in water.
The law places a level of 50 µg/l as the Maximum allowable concentration
of manganese in water. The Company has been granted a derogation allowing
5% of samples to exceed the MAC with a maximum allowable concentration
of 100 µg/l. The derogation is necessary as manganese in water (a
by product of the degradation of vegetation) is difficult to control as
it accumulates in water running off agricultural land - the main source
of company water.
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