WATER bills will go up by an inflation-busting 15.5% in January to fund a £48m investment programme over the next five years to mitigate against the effects of climate change, limited storage capacity and expected increases in population. To pay for it, the average household can expect to pay almost £60 more next year for water, with further above-average increases likely from 2027. Nearly £2m has been allocated for the first two years of the strategy to cover interim treatment for PFAS and trialling of long-term treatment solutions. The most likely scenario, were that to happen, would be raising the height of the Val de la Mare dam to flood more of its valleys. Jersey Water chief executive officer Helier Smith said: “We are at a pivotal point for Jersey Water and the Island’s water supply.