'Hopeful' for waste debate

A GREEN paper containing options for the island's sewage treatment should be published this autumn. Public Services minister Bill Bell said he was 'hopeful' the matter would be dealt with at the October States meeting.

At present, all sewage is pulverised and filtered at Belle Greve pumping station and then piped a mile-and-a-half out to sea where it is broken down naturally by sunlight and currents.

But Campaign group Surfers Against Sewage claims this is insufficient and accused Guernsey's government of 'fudging' the legislative process.

Deputy Bell said Public Services had recently submitted its report to the other departments, ahead of review by the Policy Council.

'There are three reports in tandem for the States to consider,' he said.

'Sewage disposal and all its options, the waste water charges which are the means of paying for it and also the modifications to Belle Greve pumping station, which are desperately needed now that it's 36 years old.'

SAS has instructed its members to tell VisitGuernsey they would not be coming to the island until something was done.

Deputy Bell said the campaigners were entitled to express their opinion but it was a matter for the States and community to decide.

'The people who make the decision are those who will ultimately pay for it and that doesn't seem to include them,' he said.

SAS chairman Richard Hardy insisted the issue of having a 'proper sewage-treatment plant' in Guernsey was of great importance to islanders.

'The fact that more than 4,000 local people signed our petition for full sewage treatment proves it's not just surfers who are bothered,' he said.

'We would be unhappy if another full year passes without a clear indication of whether the States is going to build a full sewage treatment works that is both modern and state-of-the-art and which would bring Guernsey into line with many popular seaside resorts across Europe.

'I believe there is a section in the Green Paper that openly admits the current sewage situation in Guernsey is one you would expect in a developing nation.

'What we have at the moment cannot be called treatment as there is nothing done to kill the bacteria and viruses that survive in the sea for a long time.'

A recent episode of the BBC's Countryfile documented paper and other sewage debris floating off the coast of Belle Greve.

But Environment minister David De Lisle defended the cleanliness of Guernsey's water.

He said his department worked hard to ensure the island's beaches met a high standard for the public and the natural environment.

Seawater at the 13 most popular beaches is monitored during the 20 busiest weeks of the year to check how bacterial levels rate against EU standards.

Five met the mandatory (good) standard and a further seven achieved guideline (excellent).

But Mr Hardy insisted Guernsey's results were, at best, mediocre compared to the UK.

'The mandatory standard is effectively still allowing for a one-in-eight chance of contracting gastroenteritis, according to the World Health Organisation,' he said.

'I would be interested to know how the Environment Department thinks it will fare in the light of the new EU bathing water directives that are filtering in next year. I suspect, not too well.

'We are in this for the long term because we believe it's not just recreational water users who would benefit from cleaner water, but the island as a whole.'