Island’s cesspits struggle to cope with record rain levels
It is not just trees and tiles that have borne the brunt of recent bad weather – the island’s cesspits have also struggled to cope with record levels of rain.
November is on course to be the wettest on record with more than 19cm of rain having already fallen, much of it in the first two weeks of the month, leading to waterlogged ground and an ever higher water table.
Ever since Storm Ciaran, sewage carts and private drain companies have been working overtime to sort out problems.
‘The volume of rainfall and frequency of the storms means the ground is absolutely saturated, and the few dry spells haven’t been long enough to allow the water table to drop,’ said Guernsey Water customer service manager Tania Sargent.
‘Weeks of heavy rain is leading to cesspits filling faster than usual, placing additional demands on the emptying service.’
This month’s rain included a week’s worth falling in just 12 hours, and the cumulative tally for the month is still more than double the November average.
Mrs Sargent said that climate change was fundamentally altering weather patterns and these intense periods of rainfall were just one example.
‘Our collection capacity can’t suddenly surge because the rainfall does, so teams are working hard to prioritise and reschedule – which has a knock-on effect to the timings of regular collections.’
One St Sampson’s resident said their cesspit had been emptied 14 times in two weeks due to the high water table.
‘We have a breach in the neck of our cesspit but can’t get it properly fixed till the spring,’ she said.
‘At the moment we just have a temporary fix which is stopping the worst of the water getting in. I know we are not the only ones having this problem, especially in the low-lying parishes.’
Drainage contractor Drain Force said it was seeing an unprecedented number of call-outs, including 13 emergency calls one morning, all before 9.30am.
Director Christine Lovering said rain from all the recent storms was putting additional pressure on the drainage pipework entering pits and soakaways, and stressing their internal structural integrity.
‘Water will always find the point of least resistance,’ she said.
‘The modern cesspit is under duress like never before.
‘The water table from extenuated rainfall transfers the volume of water, exerting pressure on each cesspit of near unparalleled force.’
She recommended islanders keeping an eye on cesspit and soakaways that required emptying more often than normal.
‘The next step would be surveying the connecting pipework internally to ascertain the overall condition to be sure if, and from where, leaking may be occurring,’ she said.
‘Any problems highlighted from a survey can be remedied before further damages can occur, damage that can ultimately lead to subsidence and or water pollution which could have far-reaching effects.’
