BWA begins FOG control initiative

The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) has commenced its Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) control programme aimed at educating the public about items that should not make their way into the sewer line.

Speaking to the media on Monday outside the front of Peronne Village, Nicole Austin, Industrial Waste Inspector for the Waste Water Division of the BWA explained that homes and businesses along the south coast will be the first stops made during the BWA’s public education programme. This coast is where the sewage treatment plant is situated.

Austin said residents and business owners will be presented with letters. These letters are to let individuals “know what is expected of them and what we will be helping them with, because we have found that it is a matter of public education, that some of the things they are doing or that they used to do are affecting the sewage system tremendously in a negative way.”

She added, that the distributed letters “will give you a little information as to what not to put down into the sewer line because we will have items [like] debris, rags, grease, certain things that affect the pumps, certain things that affect the lift stations along the way to get to the sewage treatment plant. Then with the businesses, now, we are going to be working with them along with the Ministry of Health and EPD to let them know the adequate sizing, maintenance and the best ways of disposal for any of their industrial waste, so that it does not get into the sewage system and cause a negative impact.”

Austin shared the view that initially when the sewage system was put down, there was not any “adequate public relations as to what the customers would now be responsible for”. She therefore said that public education is critical at this time especially in light of the challenges experienced recently. She also noted that from the Division’s end, there will be a continual maintenance programme of the system.

“I think now moving forward with public relations, education is very important, and that is what we are starting with to let them know that we want to help because it is at that stage where we are doing the maintenance. We want to do the maintenance. We are going to have the money to do the maintenance, but the financial budget is for a particular amount, for a particular time. We don’t want to be cutting into that because they were not educated beforehand.” (MG)