Sea Water Quality

During the 2010 summer season, the quality of the Island’s bathing water was amongst the cleanest it has been since records began.

All sixteen of the Island’s most popular bathing waters passed the European Imperative Standard, whilst 14 out of the 16 further passed the stringent European Guide Standard. The Island’s pass rate for the guide standard exceeded that for England and Wales (88% pass rate compared to 86%).

Overall, there was more rainfall during the 2010 bathing season than the 2009 bathing season and for 2010, rainfall totals for August were significantly higher than the long-term average. The higher rainfall in August caused the number of bathing water samples that failed the strict Guide Standard to increase. This is because rain washes bacteria off land into streams and drains which flow into bathing waters.

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Monitoring Water Quality

Each year, Environmental Protection monitors sixteen of the most popular bathing water beaches around Jersey. At each beach the bathing water quality is sampled weekly between mid May to the end of September. Monitoring and analysis of samples conforms to a strict protocol that is replicated throughout Europe.

Results from Jersey are independently verified by the Centre for Research into Environment and Health (CREH) and submitted to The Marine Conservation Society for inclusion in the UK Good Beach Guide. CREH produce an annual report of the Island’s bathing water.

Monitoring of bathing water quality in Jersey has been undertaken since 1992. Environmental professionals employed by the States have been instrumental in developing the protocols for measuring bathing water quality that are now used in a new European Directive and by the World Health Organisation.

All sixteen bathing waters passed the Imperative standard, these were: La Haule, Victoria Pool, Havre des Pas, Green Island, Grouville, Archirondel, Rozel, Bouley Bay, Bonne Nuit, Grève de Lecq, Plémont, Watersplash, Le Braye, St Brelade, Beauport and Portelet.

The bathing waters that passed the more stringent Guide standard were: La Haule, Havre des Pas, Green Island, Grouville, Archirondel, Rozel, Bouley Bay, Grève de Lecq, Plémont, Watersplash, Le Braye, St Brelade, Beauport and Portelet.

Weekly monitoring of the Island’s bathing water in 2011 will commence on 16 May. Bathing water results for the 16 monitored bathing waters are uploaded weekly onto  www.gov.je/seawater.

Environmental Protection further monitor beach outfalls, streams etc. to identify and, where possible, stop potential sources of pollution which may impact on the quality of Jersey’s bathing waters.

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