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WATCH: Plant changes 'will prevent repeat of St Aubin sewage issue'

WATCH: Plant changes 'will prevent repeat of St Aubin sewage issue'

Monday 18 December 2023

WATCH: Plant changes 'will prevent repeat of St Aubin sewage issue'

Monday 18 December 2023


Modifications made to the island's new £67m treatment plant at Bellozanne will help prevent another instance of under-treated sewage flowing into St Aubin's Bay, according to Jersey's Head of Liquid Waste Management.

Duncan Berry spoke as the Government revealed the major project to revamp the treatment works - parts of which dated to the late 1950s - has been completed.

The new plant has the capacity to deal with a population of 141,600 and will provide increased storm water storage, improved effluent and odour control and more consistent control of levels of nitrogen released into St Aubin’s Bay.

Earlier this year, a problem at the Bellozanne plant led to under-treated sewage flowing into the bay.

Mr Berry explained that this was caused by a combination of factors, including high levels of ammonia as well as fats, oils and grease that "upset" the treatment process.

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Pictured: Duncan Berry, Head of Liquid Waste Management for IHE.

An investigation into whether the Water Pollution Law was breached when this happened remains ongoing five months later.

Mr Berry explained that "some process changes" had since been made, allowing the plant to "cope with high ammonia levels should that happen again during hot weather. For fats, oils and grease, we need to try and stop at the source."

"That involves us going around to restaurants and putting a public awareness campaign out to all islanders, to say please do not put your fats and oils down the sink, please put it in your solid waste and dispose of that," he said.

However, Mr Berry added that, following the changes, the process was now "more robust".

"With the modifications we made and the new equipment we've installed, that will stop the same issue happening again."

The new treatment works form part of a wider £83m investment at Bellozanne which has seen other parts of the plant introduced on a phased basis.

WATCH...

Duncan Berry explains part of the process at the new sewage treatment works.

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