THE cause of the high levels of E.coli discovered at Grève de Lecq last week has been located, according to the Infrastructure Minister.
Deputy Andy Jehan said the issue related to a “partial blockage” on an incoming sewer to a pumping station and that steps had been taken to stop any further “discharges”.
A reading of 3,300 parts E.coli per 100ml of water was recorded in a sample of sea water at the bay at the start of last week.
Official warnings were issued for Islanders to avoid swimming in the area, while anyone who had done so – and felt unwell or had health concerns – were urged to speak to their doctor.
A lower reading of 1,800 was documented later in the week and, as of yesterday, the figure had dropped below 800 – but this means the water quality was still over the threshold figure of 500 for a “poor” classification.
Deputy Jehan, said: “The Infrastructure team have now identified what they believe to have been causing the poor seawater quality at Grève de Lecq, and have taken steps to stop any further discharges into the bay.
“It appears there was a partial blockage on the incoming sewer to one of the pumping stations, causing some sewage to overtop the foul sewer and enter the surface water system, which normally carries just the surface water out to sea.”
He added: “I’d like to thank the team who quickly isolated the station and found the exact location of the problem, to stop further leakage into the environment.”
