Water
Is Jersey a desert?!
"Jersey has less available water than the rest of the UK, it is on a
par with Yemen" Environment Unit
This is because Jersey has a high concentration of population on a small
service area. Jersey depends on rain for its water. In 2003 there was
a hot dry summer that meant Jersey water had to use the desalination pant
(which is expensive and energy hungry to run). Queens Valley was flooded
to meet the increasing demand for water.
Rainfall patterns are changing resulting in longer, drier summers and
wetter winters.
There are 440m3 of water available to each
person in Jersey over a whole year. Find out how much your household uses
with this water
calculator on the BBC website (Flash player required).
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Water Action points
- Don't over water your lawn. Only water every three to five days in the
summer and 10 to 14 days in the winter.
- To prevent water loss from evaporation, don't water your lawn during the
hottest part of the day or when it is windy.
- Only run the dishwasher and clothes washer when they are fully loaded.
- Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator or in the microwave instead of
running water over it.
- When washing dishes by hand, use two basins - one for washing and one
for rinsing rather than let the water run.
- Use a broom, rather than a hose, to clean paths and driveways.
If you have a swimming pool, get a cover. You'll cut the loss of water
by evaporation by 90 percent.
- Repair dripping taps and leaky toilets. Dripping taps can waste about
2,000 gallons of water each year. Leaky toilets can waste as much as 200
gallons each day.
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