The Water Services Cosporation said Thursday it had to stop the New Water production in Gozo, due to interruptions caused in the sewage treatment plant process by illegal discharges of farm slurries into the sewer.

Farm slurries have a very high organic loading and should not to be discharged into the sewer, WSC said.

WSC currently operates a dedicated facility in Gozo for the lawful reception and treatment of farm slurries, which is made available to the farming sector five to six days per week.

Despite this provision, farm waste is being introduced illegally through the urban sewer network, bypassing the controlled intake process entirely.

Photographic evidence gathered at the Gozo facility shows farm slurry solids present in the fine screen area, confirming the scale of the contamination. As a direct consequence, the sewage treatment process has been compromised and the production of new water in Gozo has been completely halted, in order to safeguard against any more damage to its delicate membranes.

The dumping of farm slurry into the public sewer is a breach of applicable waste and water regulations and causes direct harm to critical national infrastructure, WSC said.

Anyone caught doing so will be processed for damages. WSC said it will continue to monitor the situation and will provide further updates as necessary. Anyone with information about the illegal dumping of farm waste into the public sewer is encouraged to report it anonymously by contacting WSC's Customer Care Centre on 80076400.