Screen removed from outfall due to increase in flow of waste water
A SCREEN which stopped larger items from blocking an outfall at Fort George has been removed temporarily owing to an increased amount of waste water, which is being put down to more people living there during the pandemic.
The screen was installed in December 2017, in an effort to tackle flushed items going into the sea.
It was fitted to an outfall pipe which serves about 75 properties which carried their waste into the sea off the east coast.
The pipe is located towards the southern end of the Lower Lines (La Corniche) where it passes down the cliff and extends approximately 30 metres from the base out into the sea.
As a result of an outfall dispersion survey carried out by Guernsey Water in 2016, it emerged that the waste waster coming out of the fort could have an adverse effect on Soldiers Bay.
It was decided to install a passive screen which removed non-biodegradable material such as plastics.
This was equivalent to that which was in place at Belle Greve, said Guernsey Water.
‘The screen was installed to filter out any material over 6mm and was functioning satisfactorily up until recently, when it started to struggle with an increased volume of waste water,’ said Guernsey Water managing director Steve Langlois.
‘We think this may be due to higher than normal occupancy of properties at Fort George as a result of the pandemic.
‘In order to prevent sewage backing up into the area and creating a public health risk, we have needed to temporarily remove the screen.’
Mr Langlois said that Environmental Health and Pollution Regulation was aware of this temporary change and Guernsey Water was looking into how the screen could be re-installed safely.
