BWA technical team meeting today
A TECHNICAL meeting will take place today to discuss the progress made with the plans to address the sewage leaks affecting sections of the south coast of the island.
This was revealed by Manager of the Barbados Water Authority’s Wastewater Division, Patricia Inniss, who briefly told the media yesterday that the teams will be working throughout the night as they seek to get a handle on the sewage problem, which has been plaguing residents and businesses in surrounding areas for months.
The BWA recently announced plans to connect the south coast and Bridgetown sewage networks, in an attempt to ease the pressure on the south coast sewage system.
The process has already begun, with excavation at a work site on the compound of the Barbados Government Information Service at Bay Street, St. Michael. It will also see the reactivation of the BWA’s lift station at Bay Street, St. Michael.
General Manager of the BWA Keithroy Halliday, during a recent press conference, explained that work is already taking place there to join the South sewerage network to the Bridgetown network, for greater ease.
“Some excavation is (presently) occurring, to ensure that we can join one sewerage network work to another. We are looking to join the sewerage network that goes to Bridgetown to that on the South Coast. The whole idea as we have indicated before, is to provide some form of relief on the South Coast side,” he explained.
“This is one option that is being explored. There are really no guarantees. We are not absolutely certain if it will work to the level or to the extent that we want it to, but we cannot not explore all of the options,” he however remarked.
Halliday acknowledged that in putting additional load onto the Bridgetown sewerage system, the BWA will make the link a gradual process.
“We’ll start with one pump and then possibly two or three other pumps (until) we know for sure that the current lines are holding. In addition to that, we have to make sure that we upgrade the pumping capacity at our River Road Lift Station and as well, we need to make some changes in preparation at the Bridgetown Sewerage Plant. So all of that is happening concurrent to the steps being taken on the South Coast,” Halliday revealed.
At that time the general manager took the opportunity to reassure the public that the Barbados Water Authority’s Waste Water Division was exploring all possible options and was doing its best to remedy the situation.