Water quality is '99.95% compliant with standards'

Guernsey Water said it provided 4,395 million litres of safe drinking water in 2024

A water company has said it achieved 99.95% compliance with UK drinking water standards in 2024 and provided 4,395 million litres of safe drinking water in 2024.

Guernsey Water said a 2024 water quality report showed only three breaches out of more than 6,000 tests.

But the report showed water from the Vale Pond catchment could still not be collected due to pesticide contamination.

Daffyd Griffiths, water quality risk manager at Guernsey Water, said: "Our robust sampling regime is able to continue demonstrating our high levels of compliance against UK water quality regulations, which we follow as best practice."

Safe water was transferred through 420km (260.98 miles) of water main and into islanders' taps, toilets, showers and appliances.

One of the breached occurred at Juas water treatment works, where re-samples returned clear.

Two of the breaches came from a single sample, taken at the West Tank at Forest Road Treated Service Reservoir and resulted in the precautionary removal of the tank from supply for investigations to take place.

Work to upgrade the West Tank was completed in 2025 and Guernsey Water said it was put back into service as quickly and safely as possible.

Mr Griffiths said investing in infrastructure and preparing for population growth on the island was vital in ensuring the continued quality of the island's water.

"Ongoing investments such as these are critical to ensure we can continue to provide high quality drinking water for years to come." he said.

Mr Griffiths said although results showed a drop in the levels of glyphosate in un-treated water over recent years, an increase had been seen in 2024.

"Samples were collected following the first rainfall after a fair weather bank holiday weekend, and the results strongly suggest that this spike was a result of applications being made ahead of wet weather," he said.

He added it was a reminder to use pesticides responsibly and to avoid spraying ahead of any forecast rain.