Prime Highlights:
- Guernsey Water will invest £130 million to upgrade ageing water infrastructure and boost long-term water security.
- Customer bills will rise as part of the funding plan, with increases helping to spread costs between current and future users.
Key Facts:
- The company will spend £72 million on maintaining existing drinking water and wastewater systems, some of which are nearly 100 years old.
- Rainfall this year was 13% below the 10-year average, prompting plans for a new £20 million reservoir at Les Vardes Quarry.
Background:
Guernsey Water has outlined plans for a major £130 million investment aimed at modernising the island’s ageing water infrastructure and improving resilience against future shortages. The multi-year programme will be funded through a mix of borrowing, efficiency gains and an increase in customer bills.
According to the company, the standing charges for both tap water and wastewater services will rise above inflation. Metered households can expect an average increase of around £4 per month, while unmetered households may see bills climb by about £6 per month.
Managing director Steve Langlois stressed that the investment was essential to protect the island’s long-term water security. “We cannot neglect the infrastructure we are already using,” he said, noting that some parts of the network are close to a century old.
The company plans to allocate £72 million specifically for the maintenance of existing drinking water and wastewater systems. Langlois warned that delaying upgrades would lead to greater costs in the future and potentially compromise service reliability.
Guernsey’s water resources have come under pressure this year, with rainfall from January to September recorded at 13% below the 10-year average and 15% lower than the 30-year average. Despite the drop in reservoir levels, the island avoided the hosepipe bans seen across the UK, which affected more than 8.5 million households.
To increase storage capacity, Guernsey Water intends to invest £20 million in converting Les Vardes Quarry into a new freshwater reservoir once quarrying operations conclude. Pipe installations linking the quarry to the island’s existing reservoirs will begin several years before conversion work starts, which is expected around 2035.
Langlois added that the challenges faced by Guernsey are similar to those confronting water providers across Europe, though the island cannot rely on the economies of scale available to larger utilities. He emphasised that strengthening the island’s water network now will help safeguard both current and future customers.
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