The Anguilla Water Corporation officially commissioned its new state-of-the-art plant at Crocus Hill on Tuesday, October 31. The event climaxed the work of the outgoing Water Board which, for the past two years, had been under the chairmanship of retired Permanent Secretary, Kenn Banks
“It has been a labour of love with almost fifteen years in the planning, and a gratifying feeling to see your difficult efforts come to something,” said Chief Executive Officer of the Water Corporation, Rommel Hughes, as he chaired the commissioning ceremony.
He stated that the 500,000 gallon-a-day plant was almost fully operational. “Under the current set-up it can produce about 450,000 gallons a day of very, very good water for customers at a vastly reduced price than what we have been purchasing from the desalination plant at Crocus Bay,” he told his listeners. He was speaking about the brackish water treatment plant which substantially refines the water pumped from eleven boreholes in The Valley well field.
Mr. Banks joined Mr. Hughes in stating that the plant was long in coming. “It completes an important phase of a long-term plan for the water services in Anguilla,” he said. In the mid-1990s the Government decided to adopt a plan for water services in Anguilla. It included a brackish water resources plant and a seawater plant. We recognised that the brackish plant could not meet the needs of Anguilla with the existing resources, and therefore we began with the sea plant with the idea that after the demand increases we will then install the brackish plant – and that is what we are doing today.
“The plant at Crocus Bay was commissioned in 1999 under the Hon. Albert Hughes, who had to convince his colleagues in Government at the time that it was the way to go, in light of objections of some well-intentioned but some misinformed citizens. We are here now twelve years later to commission this plant and the objections are no less vociferous.” He said the water was environmentally safe, the cost was less and the noise level from the new brackish water plant was extremely low.
Mr. Banks noted that the water storage of 500,000 gallons was still not even a day’s supply. As a result, approval was still being awaited for the commissioning of a recently-built 1.5 million gallon tank but, even then, there would be just about three days storage, making it necessary for other water sources to be available. He suggested that the Planning Department should ensure that buildings were being constructed to continue the tradition of providing water storage.
“The challenge for the new Board, which comes in on Thursday, is now to look at issues to do with unaccounted- for-water,” Mr. Banks continued. “We have been able to identify where the problems are, and it will take quite a big investment to be able to recover that water; but we know that returns will be made in a short while. It is very important that they concentrate unaccounted-for-water.” He said that “with the new plant, along with the minimum in-take from the desalination plant at Crocus Bay, there would be savings of two million dollars a year, over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars a month.”
Mr. Banks explained how the brackish water treatment system came about. “This plant is being funded – not by any direct investment by Anguilla or the Water Corporation. It is a PPP (a Public/Private sector Partnership) where TSG has put up its money; built the plant; will operate it and theWater Corporation will pay for water as it is used. That price of water will finance the plant, so there is no outlay or borrowing by the Government of Anguilla. It is a similar situation with the plant at Crocus Bay. After ten years, this plant will then become the property of the Water Corporation for the cost of one dollar. The plant at Crocus Bay, after fifteen years (five more years), will also be ours.”
He added that the two projects were the way to go towards meeting the borrowing guidelines set by the British Government. He thanked TSG, represented by KeithLenford and Chad Bourassa who had worked hard to get the plant in operation as well as to commission the well field in The Valley.
Mr. Lenford, the TSG Contractor and Plant Operator, thanked the Water Corporation for giving his company the option to build the water plant and to serve the people of the island. “It was some fun time trying to get this plant up and going, but today we are finally there and we look forward to continuing to serve the island of Anguilla with quality sweet water,” he commented.
Special Assistant in the Ministry of Infrastructure spoke on behalf of the Minister, Evan Gumbs, who was off island. “Thank you, TSG for finding it fit to invest in Anguilla,” Mr. Samuel Webster stated in part. “We are going through some tough economic times. We listened to the present Chairman of the Board about the amount of money we can save. I think it is only fitting that in times like these we can save two million dollars a year, and down the road we can get the plant for one dollar. The farmers can plant more, and I guess will get water cheaper, and that is very important – and we can get cheaper tomatoes and other produce.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure and former member of the Water Board, Larry Franklin, also thanked TSG for their contribution – and his fellow outgoing Board members for their hard work in establishing the Water Corporation over the past three years. “This is a major project,” Mr. Franklin said. “It is probably one of the biggest projects that the Water Corporation has ever engaged in, in its history. I am pleased that we all have been engaged in a worthwhile project which should bring some benefit to the people of Anguilla eventually.
“I will also continue my contribution to the Water Corporation in support to the Minister and to the new Board, ensuring that its members continue the work that we started. It has been a pleasure working with Rommel, and his crew, Mr. Banks and the other [former] Board members.”
The newly-appointed Water Board comprises the following persons: Ethelbert Edwards (Chairman); Steve Rogers (Deputy Chairman) and members Patsy McDonna, Jacqueline Richardson, Dedric Webster and Vanier Harrigan.
(Source http://www.anguillian.com/article/articleview/10295/)
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