Jersey waste service works to reduce nitrates in sea

Duncan Berry said one of the main causes of the green seaweed was the amount of nitrogen going in the sea

Engineers hope improvements to Jersey's sewage treatment works will reduce the amount of green seaweed building up in St Aubin's Bay.

Duncan Berry, head of Liquid Waste, said one of the main causes was the amount of nitrogen entering the sea.

The sewage treatment plant said it would make changes to deal with the sources of nitrogen, such as fat and waste, from going through its systems.

Mr Berry told scrutiny they would try to limit the amount of nitrates.

However, he also said the department could not stop nitrates coming from other sources.

He said lowering the nitrogen limit "should hopefully reduce the sea lettuce, but not being the only source, we can't categorically say it won't occur".

"[During] the warm spring and summer, you get these algal blooms and the nutrients build up over winter."

Earlier in June, routine tests found higher levels of bacteria in the water at the bay and people were advised not to swim in the water.

Guidance was later lifted.

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