Spencer Brand, Minister of Water Services in Nevis Island Administration (NIA), recently called the progress in the island’s well-drilling project a game-changing one for the betterment of the island’s water supply.
The NIA roped in Water and Oil Wells Services Limited of Trinidad to drill and develop nine wells on the island. It has finished drilling two wells in the Maddens area, the NIA said.
Brand, who spoke about the goals and impact of the water project worth US$ 3.3 million, said it will add more than 1.5 million gallons to the island’s water system daily.
On December 5, the minister laid down the project’s transformative potential during NIA’s budget debate.
He said, “Pump testing at Maddens well site number two has been completed, yielding a return of 125 gallons per minute when pumped continuously. This translates to approximately 144,000 gallons per day.
“We are expected, however, to run that well at approximately 100 to 110 gallons per minute, which is at a manageable drawdown rate,” he added.
“The water quality showed approximately 200 parts per million, which is very good quality water for drinking.”
Pump-testing at Maddens Well Site No.1 has also come to an end. Data have shown a safe yield of nearly 350 gallons a minute.
“If all goes well, we expect that site will also be connected to the system shortly. This is extremely good,” Brand said, adding, “With all of the assessment done initially on well number one, this well has the potential to use the 8-inch or 9-inch pump… We are going to do some adjustment, drill a larger hole, and put a much larger pump here. That will allow the island of Nevis to get a significantly larger portion of water from that well.”
A third potential well site in Dasents Estate is also being prepared with a goal to start drilling next month.
Brand has called for unified effort for water security
Last month, Brand called for bigger cooperation in dealing with common water-management challenges seen across the region.
Leading a team to a conference of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association in Trinidad and Tobago where he took part in the 20th High-Level Forum for Caribbean Ministers with Responsibility for Water and Wastewater, Brand said the occasion underscored the serious challenges that the Caribbean islands face in terms of supplying drinking water to their people.
He proposed that the network throughout the region be made stronger.
“Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, and the Windward Islands have their own initiatives, but we realized that by collaborating we can achieve far greater results. This commitment to shared solutions adds real value to our efforts,” he was quoted as saying by reports.
Apart from drilling, the NIA also tested a photovoltaic destination plant built in Butlers, St James, recently. It is part of its vision for sustainable water management. The plant, powered by solar energy, can handle 60,000 gallons daily. The first production of treated desalinated water was injected into the distribution network on December 13, NIA said.
Brand said the desalination plant will be in operation soon and improve the availability of water on the island. The administration is committed to supplying high-quality water to both residents and businesses in Nevis, the minister added.
The NIA’s focus on improving the island’s water situation shows its dedication to bringing into play innovative solutions and investing in infrastructure. The past decade has seen it spending nearly $43 million to improve the water distribution system and storage capacity and also bringing additional water on stream.
Premier Brantley lauds NIA water strategy
Nevis’s Premier Mark Brantley has also expressed satisfaction over the NIA’s approach to improving the island’s water resources and vision for sustainable development. He has underscored his administration’s investment in re-engineering Nevis’s water-distribution network by fitting advanced polyurethane pipes instead of cast iron ones. The Caribbean Development Bank has played a key role in upgrading Nevis’s water-distribution capacity.
In a press conference in November, Brantley gave updates about the water project.
“As I’ve disclosed in the past that our intention is to drill nine wells. Two have already been completed; both are in the Maddens area. The first well is close to the Maddens water storage tank. The depth is 705 feet with a water table at 505 feet,” he said.
“The second well is that a depth of 505 feet with the water table at 265 feet. This well is currently being pump tested at 125 gallons a minute or 180, 000 gallons per day. The next site to be drilled will be Dasent’s Estate. Groundwater monitors have been installed and thus far we’ve installed five groundwater monitors,” he added.
St Kitts and Nevis has faced a serious water scarcity and the Terrance Drew-led government has also taken up the matter urgently. The World Bank has also spoken about the problem the Caribbean island-nation is facing in one of its recent reports. It has been said that nearly two per cent of the country’s population lacks access to safe and reliable sources of water and around 80 per cent of the residents on St Kitts island face regular water outages due to inadequate supply.
In March 2024, the government of St Kitts and Nevis began the Project Preparation Facility stage (PPF) of a flagship ‘SKN TransWater Project’ in its mission to achieve Sustainable Island State agenda and the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goal agenda.
