Sewage in the sea
Tuesday 19th May 2009, 3:00PM BST.
Occasional discharges of sewage along the east coast in the past have led to warnings about the dangers of eating contaminated shellfish
A STATES department has been pumping inadequately treated sewage into the sea in St Aubin’s Bay for over three years.
Transport and Technical Services has been found to be breaking the rules for sewage disposal from Bellozanne for the past three years and the department has been issued with two formal warning letters because of the regulation breaches.
It may take another year before the sewage from the Bellozanne treatment works, run by TTS, will be deemed acceptable.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that TTS is also occasionally pumping untreated sewage into the sea along the Island’s east coast. However, a major report on pollution issued today by the Environment Department says that no conclusive evidence of the source of e-coli bacteria and norovirus found in east coast shellfish has yet been identified.
Occasional discharges of sewage along the east coast in the past have led to warnings about the dangers of eating contaminated shellfish
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This is because the States refuse to invest in the infrastructure of the Island despite claims that we can support 100,000+ people!
Senator Ozouf would do better to spend some of the £44M economic stimulus package in creating jobs to update our sewerage and mains drains – at least these would be short-term expenses but with immediate longterm results!
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We’ve been saying for years that the green lettuce and the stink on the beach has to be something to do with the outlet and for years we have been assured that the water is ulta clean and that the treatment plant has won awards. So who will be disalpined or sacked. Lets guess.
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No more midnight swims for me then!!
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Hedley (2) like you I want crystal clear and pure seas, however I think you may have you pollutant wire crossed.
1) The ‘green lettuce’ grows in abundance around outfalls from agricultural land. This suggests the pollutant may be nitrogen runoff from the fertilizer put on the fields.
2) The ‘stick’ as you call it can have many natural contributors such as rotting seaweed. A consequence of Jersey being an island with beaches.
Nevertheless, raw sewage into the sea is not good, be it with or without a dash of e-coli. Nellie (1) is right, we need to spend money now; the reputation of our fishing industry is at stake. Storm runoff was a problem 30 years ago, lets hope it is fixed before 2039.
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It has to be said that there is an almost unbelievable smell around First Tower in the very early morning sometimes.
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i am a kitesurfer. i, like many others, use st aubins and the gorey as well as st ouens regularly for water based recreational activity.
I am absolutely disgusted that tts have the stunning audacity to behave so appallingly. heads should roll, no question. we pay good tax money for this not to happen and here we go again being badly let down by states departments.
just what is it that these jumped grease monkeys thought they we’re doing by pumping raw sewage into our environment? utterly unacceptable.
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What do you expect in an overpopulated little island. All politians want to do, is add more people to the problem. Waste has to go somewhere.
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So the person in charge of TTS for the last 3 years has slipped out of the blame for the lost money on euros which was a TTS project and now it appears he wont get the blame for this.
Who says muck sticks!
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No wonder we get French Lettuce on the beach sometimes!
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Hang on how many millions do we spend to build a tank to hold this under Fort Regent, but don’t tell me wrong type of stuff…
Never mind let’s get another consultant and write another cheque and hire some more States workers as the department concerned was clearly under-manned ……
Where in the States does the word accountability got understood?
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So let me get this straight TTS admit to being negligent in discharging inadequately treated sewage into St.Aubins Bay which is upstream of the oyster beds on a rising tide but the Environment Department can’t find the source. .. ……
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Thank you TTS….we spend a fortune advertising Jersey as a holiday destination, booking are up, new airlines are shopwing interest, we might be able to breath a little life into a shrinking tourism industry and then…sorry we polluted the beaches!
Someone at TTS must go for this!
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Another offshoot of this is that I have heard of people becoming quite ill and developing eye infections after a swim in the bay. A medical person informed me that it was likely to be since the states introduced a charge for dumping oil/thinners etc, that unscupulous people and businesses had simply dumped it down the drains. Talk about false economy!
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One of the major problems is that the pumping stations cannot cope when we have heavy rainfall – the volume is just too great so the sewage gets pushed out into the streams and from there into the sea. The whole system needs a complete overhaul – just a fraction of the £44M would be a step in the right direction and get some of our unemployed back into work.
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Funny how the smell increases at about 3-00 am ask any cab driver working at night, could it be programmed to sluce while most people are asleep…you betcha…just go down the beach on to the wet sand and look for the “slick” it’s all over….and is being allowed, come to Sunny Jersey,bring your own antibiotics.. I can see it in the Nationals soon.will anyone be accountable….?
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I think we all agree
1) Our summer population is well down on the past peaks of the tourist season but we still cannot cope. No more talk of a population of over 90,000. We have neither the homes nor drains to cope.
2) No more talk in the States of grade plans until the drains are fixed.
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I think it would be best if swimming were banned in St.Aubin’s Bay until we know that sewage isn’t being pumped into it. Surely on health and safety grounds this should be a no brainer?
As per Mark maybe the States should connect the 1 in 6 still not on mains drains, even the good old UK only has 1 in 20 not on mains sewers. Why is that Jersey is so backwards as regards basics for life in the 21st century?
Even from a purely ecological angle this can’t be good can it? Surely the environment deserves better treatment than it is getting? Come on States get a grip and sort it out, this isn’t a third world country is it?
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west park to first tower has always been a bit smelly, in the 70;s when on school holidays loads of us spent everyday on that beach. wow was there a lot of seaweed then.
it did go away for a number of years but seems to be on the increase again.
even after the new u.v. treatment plant the seagulls still hung around the outfall, this equipment must be old ish by now and our demand for waste treatment well up(more flats more houses).
there was talk at one time(roumour)of extending the outfall to past noirmont, as there is very little current in st aubins bay.
sad to hear that people who have been using the bay for watersports are getting ill.
in the 70;s we were not ill from swiming there.
maybe someone who has the skill would like to conduct a survey of water quality and post there findings here.
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Adrian (17). The reason we, a rich island, are ‘so backward’ is that we chased after silver tongue of Harcourt and a £350 million project, when they cannot deliver an abattoir conversion. The standoff between Frank Walker and Gerard Baudain comes to mind; the problem is, doing the right thing has few rewards.
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The tide in St Aubin’s Bay go around in a anti clockwise direction, whatever state of tide. The sewage that is pumped into the bay heads west along the beach and straight into St Aubin’s Harbour.
Welcome to “World Class” Jersey.
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I was advised about 6 years ago by an ex employee of what was then the PSD, who advised me not to swim or be towed off the back of a boat due to raw sewage aws being pumped out into St. Aubins Bay on a regular basis.
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I am a regular visitor to Jersey for the last 10 years with my family. I am disgusted about untreated sewerage being pumping direct into the sea and feel it best that I stay away this year. This is a clear indication that the states want more people to visit but not willing to spend money on essentials.What a disappointment for the family no Jersey holiday this year.
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Now the states are resonsible for putting our health at risk!!
Why don’t we organise a class action against them?
Maybe suing them for some of our hard earned tax money back will teach them to spend it wisely on the welfare of the island rather than lining their own pockets!
Maybe we could also do this over GST or any other rises in tax if we are not satisifed our tax money is being spent properly????
Sounds silly….but SOMETHING has to be done.
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If a private individual had caused pollution they would have had the full force of the law thrown at them, and I am sur ethey would have been banned from doing it again! If Jersey has any pretentions to be a “green” island it needs to stop these antiquated practices of polluting the environment.
It is a disgrace that this is still going on, I wonder if there have been other incidents that we are unaware of? What about the toxic time bomb on the insinerator site? What about the large numbers of homes still not on mains sewers over here? I have been requesting a connection to the mains for years still no help from the state on this important environmental issue. As far as I am concerned money takes presidence over the environment.
May I suggest the government puts more effort into basic living standards instead of wasting it on brass trees, granite needles and steam clocks that don’t work properly? Its priorities are all wrong as far as I am concerned and this is why this island is going to the dogs.
So we now find out that sewage has been put into the sea near the oyster farm!! What a joke, how long has this investigation to find the source been ongoing, and how much has it cost to find nothing? As far as I am concerned the cause is most likely the sewage isn’t it?
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How right you are Adrian, people who resent working people getting in the states should take note,it’s the basic things that count,clean water,food, fuel,education,school milk and preserving the environment,…and yet who are the champions of these things…?not the Capanina gang that’s for sure, these are the ones with the grandiose useless schemes that we are left with the legacy of,once we’ve paid for them that is. to coin a phrase they know the price of everything and the value of nothing…let’s preserve our coastline and our sea,more U.K. beaches have lost their blue flag status this year than ever. clean beaches and water will always have real value and attract tourists..and yes I hear you bankers say that tourism won’t pay our way anymore,but if you don’t spend wildly and recklessly,you won’t need so much,this headlong assault for more business at the cost of priceless assets ie; Us and our environment is flawed,how much is enough..? the more we make the more the Govt.squanders on ridiculous projects ,fueled by hungry civil servants and developers eager to milk the gravy train and get even more of their mates over,co’s we’ll really need them now we’ve got an even bigger project on the go and on and on,..should the cash dry up though…rats and sinking ships spring to mind.and you know what….you had the chance to reverse it and elected not to…… complacency,by simply being a spectator we walk trancelike into the very thing we hate most.ask your deputy/senator what they are doing about your concerns…
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Say No more
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Another story line says its safe to swim in the sea over here! Funnily enough St.Aubin’s Bay wasn’t tested in the latest round of tests for some reason so I heard on the radio. Are they having a laugh or what?
I agree with you tuthseeker it appears Jersey is here to be exploited to the last and woe betide anyone who gets in the way.
If anyone thinks St.Aubin’s Bay is safe to swim in may I suggest they eat cockles from it as a way of proving what they say is true. If they aren’t ill I’ll believe them. Any takers out there?
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25 truthseeker
I disagree……..they don’t know the cost of anything either. just look at the incinerator debacle and fx loss
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adrian (24)
that steam clock is hideous
i hate it so much.
im 19 and even i can see that it was a complete waste of money
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louise if I had my way I would get rid of the steamclock it costs money to run. It is a complete waste of time and space. I would sell it to the highest bidder and make better use of the space.
I heard on the radio yesterday that St.Aubin’s Bay was omitted from tests. So as this appears to be the case, is the JEP going to investigate as to why no samples were taken from St.Aubin’s Bay for the good beach guide or not? I would have thought this a worthy piece to investigate especially as peoples’ health could be at stake?
This can’t be construed as not in the public interest, or open to litigation by doing a piece on it, can it?
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Nellie – it is because people are not prepared to pay the huge level of tax that such a massive investment in infrastructure would require. Jersey has invested many, many millions as I am sure you are fully and for a long time have been a world leader in such matters. Open you eyes and look across the water at Guernsey where all their sewerage is pumped untreated into the sea. As with everything a balance between cost and benefit must be struck. I am aware that the evil establishment must be fought on every front but this constant criticism of every decision of our elected government will lead only to anarchy and chaos, and if we follow your policies we will all be losers.
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Sanity.. Oysters in Guernsey are Grade A (can be eaten directly) whereas in Jersey the closest beds to the Bellozanne outfall etc (Green Island) are C (must relay for two months).
Also the Cavern is meant to fail only once in ten years but because it’s still connected to surface water it’s eight times a year. So its not just cost/benefit it’s like buying a car for the public good but not being able to buy tyres for it!!
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32 – of course Guernsey have the benefit of some very strong currents to carry their untreated sewerage out to open water. TTS are slowly separating rainwater and sewerage but again it is down to cost – and we the public oppose additional taxation.
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Sanity the problem is Jersey espouses green ideals but when it comes down to it it doesn’t follow through does it?
Connection of everyone to the mains sewers should have been completed when Jersey had money to burn but they prefered to waste it on steam clocks and the likes. We now have beaches being polluted don’t we? At least in Guernsey people are aware that pollution is leaving their outfalls, we aren’t, this isn’t good. I had thought these weren’t used any more except for putting clean water back into the environment. I am sure many others were likewise in their beliefs.
To me it looks like they are trying to keep these incidents quiet. We still haven’t had a proper explanation as to what happened on the east coast earlier this year. I would have thought this would have been the number one aim of the environmental department to sort this out as soon as possible?
Rainwater should never have been allowed to be mixed with sewage another short sighted policy that will cost us dear in the long term.
As per taxation if it is spent on real issues, like protecting our environment from contamination, I think most would agree with this money being spent. However wasting it on uselss items like steam clocks is not a good return on tax payers money is it?
As per the cavern this doesn’t seem to fullfill its function. I have been informed that the West Centre link to the cavern could not be completed due to resistance from the people in the area. If this is true maybe this is affecting its performance?
If TTS would alert the public every time there was a leak into the environment then at least people would know when to stay clear of the area. At present I don’t think we are told.
Maybe they don’t want to say too much incase tourism gets upset? However I would prefer to know what was going on whether it was a good advert for Jersey or not. God forbid a tourist gets ill and dies after being in contact with our coastal waters, from a disease that could be proven to have come from any discharges in future.
If they must discharge then surely it would be sensible to run a deep water foul pipe out to sea and only use this one point for discharges. This would at least help protect people from any adverse health effects. Surely this isn’t too high a price to pay for public safety.
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The green beaches and the smell are na result of the the reclaimed land and the new marina, which together have stopped the natural tidal flow.
As for the sewage, this has to be one of the worst ‘mistakes’ the States have made.
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Adrian – I think that there is a genuine desire by the authorities to do the best but this is often compromised through petty point scoring and interference, especially once things get passed down to the civil servants. That rainwater is mixed in to our sewerage system is historic, dating back to a time long before sewerage plants. This is a problem that is not unique to Jersey which has been identified and is slowly being rectified so it in unfair to blame this on our Government. With respect to the cavern I took up the opportunity many years ago of visiting this just prior to it being opened and whilst impressive was astounded at the lack of local knowledge of the engineers, for example they had no idea that most of the seafront [this was before west of Albert] was land reclaimed by the railway companies. The idea was good but like so many things on this rock as soon as it was handed over to the civil servants it became a disaster. That such a small and affluent Island should still have so many houses not connected to mains drains is an absolute disgrace and that even now planning insist on a percentage for art [drains don’t even get a mention] when agreeing big projects, so whilst the steam clock is history nothing has changed in Government priority or thinking. Extending the sewerage system would be a good project for the economic recovery program but like you have little confidence that our money will be spent on anything constructive and beneficial such as this. Perhaps as you suggest a bit of honesty over the pollution and a deep water outfall designed to take the overflow would be a good idea, with appropriate warning signs that after heavy rain there is a possibility of contamination. I have seen this in France and the UK and nobody appeared to be put off bathing.
We must not forget however that these are OUR tourist, and that tourism forms a very important element of our Island economy. Protecting our Islands reputation is of vital importance to protecting our own individual interests both financial and social. That whilst we as an Island must invest in the necessary infrastructure of sewerage and waste disposal we must not neglect luxury items such as the steam clock, our beautiful landscapes and various artworks which form an important part of our tourism product as without this investment in the latter there will be no money for investment in the former. It is all a question of balance and making the best use of our taxes.
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Jersey could learn from New Zealand where they treat their environment as their number one and most precious commodity. Not so in Jersey I’m afraid. This is the difference between a forward looking country and one entrenched in the bad old days of anything goes.
As far as I am concerned luxuries are for when we can afford them. We need to get back to basics and start from below the ground and work our way up.
Just because something is out of sight shouldn’t mean it is out of mind. Jersey needs to sort out the basics before it plays with ill conceived things like steam clocks I’m afraid.
A decent sewage system and protection of our water resources takes presidence over steam clocks and brass trees in my book. Maybe others prefer the luxuries to protecting the environment properly? If they do, they are ill informed.
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We could make a start by replacing the pumping stations which simply cannot cope with the volume of water when we have heavy rainfalls – this shouldn’t be too expensive. Then we could get everyone connected to the mains drains. Neither of these proposals need result in higher taxation as we could use some of the £44M that Senator Ozouf has available and provide work for those made redundant recently and in the future – doesn’t need a lot of training to dig trenches and lay pipes – even our school leavers could be employed temporarily to do some of this work.
The actual sewerage plant also needs attention/replacing and this is going to be expensive – if there was a choice between funding this or funding more advertising for Finance, I wonder which the public would go for?
As for the sea lettuce being the result of changing currents due to the reclamation site – this is incorrect – the sea lettuce is a direct result of sewage being discharged into the sea – not just for the past 3 years but since at least the early 80s when the sea lettuce first appeared. It is put down to “nitrates” and what are nitrates….. a common component of fertiliser …and what is fertiliser….?
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