The Water Sector in the Bahamas- General Information
Introduction
The water sector in the Bahamas is controlled by several government and Quasi-governmental organizations that collectively cover the entire sector as it impacts public health and sustainable development throughout the Commonwealth. The Ministry of Health and the Environment, The Ministry of Public Works and Utilities, The Ministry of Agriculture and the Prime Minister's Office all play important roles in overseeing development in the sector.
Public Health
The Ministry of Health and the Environment (MOH) is entrusted with the administration of the Environmental Health Act (EHA) and the Health Services Act (HSA), which regulates and monitors among other things, the supply of water to ensure that public health and well being are preserved. The Environmental Monitoring and Risk Assessment, formerly the Public Analyst, Laboratory attached to the Department of Environmental Health Services (DEHS) has the responsibility for monitoring water quality in conjunction with the Water and Sewerage Corporation.
Development
The Ministry of Public Works and Utilities (MOPW) is entrusted with the administration of the Building Control Act and Regulations (BCA), sharing responsibility with the Ministry of Health and is also entrusted with the preparation of land use, plans and physical planning activities. Private development resort or subdivisions also come under MOPW, which issues water supply franchises to developers in areas where the supply of water is impractical for government or its agencies to undertake. The largest water supply franchise forms an integral part of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, which developed and now controls the city of Freeport on Grand Bahama.
Water Resources In The Bahamas
The freshwater resources occur as three-dimensional lens-shaped bodies, which overlies brackish and saline waters at depth. The size, shape and orientation of the island, the subsurface geology and the amount of rainfall control the shape size and thickness of the freshwater bodies. All freshwater in the Bahamas is created as a result of rainfall. In excess of 90 percent of the freshwater lenses are within five feet of the surface.
Fresh Water Resources
All freshwater in the Bahamas is only available as groundwater, which comes about as a result of rainfall. The freshwater resources occur as concave lens-shaped bodies:
90% of all freshwater lenses are within five feet of the surface.
Freshwater resources occur as three-dimensional lens-shaped bodies, which overlies brackish and saline waters at depth. The size, shape and orientation of the island, the subsurface, geology and the amount of rainfall control the shape, size and thickness of freshwater bodies. The only source of drinking and irrigation water is from groundwater lenses, which float on brackish water due to differing densities. Due to the shallow depth of the freshwater lenses, the resources are vulnerable to several environmental risks. Additionally, over-extraction of groundwater lenses is an ongoing concern.
In order to meet the water requirements of a growing population on the island of New Providence, the water lenses have been used beyond their sustainable or safe yields. This has caused a mixing of fresh and brackish lenses resulting in a steady rise in the salinity of the water supplied.
SOURCES OF NEW PROVIDENCE WATER SUPPLY
| MILLIONS OF GALLONS PER DAY WSC OWNED WELLFIEDS |
| 1. Windsor |
|
0.998 |
| 2. Old Southwest |
|
0.447 |
|
3. South West One |
|
0.269 |
| 4. South West Two |
|
0 |
| 5. Perpalls |
|
0.036 |
| 6. Prospect |
|
0.147 |
| 7. Bluehills |
|
0.023 |
| BARGED SUPPLIES FROM ANDROS |
| 1. New Providence Development Co. (NPC} |
|
0.061 |
| 2. Water Fields Company |
|
1.786 |
|
TOTAL PRODUCTION BY SOURCES |
|
8.101 |
| TOTAL PRODUCTION BYSOURCES |
| |
|
IMPERIAL GALLONS |
| 1928 |
|
30,750,000 |
| 1960 |
|
526,210,000 |
|
1995 |
|
2,488,000,000 |
| 2000 |
|
2,956,865,000 |
| |
|
|
|
TOTAL |
|
6,001,825,000 |
MARINE OPERATIONS
The Marine Operations of the Water & Sewerage Corporation started on November 29, 1976, with the function of transporting potable water across 37 miles of sea, from the well fields in North Andros, via water vessels (barges) to the reservoirs at Arawak Cay, New Providence. The Marine Operation began by transporting 0.6 Million Imperial Gallons (MIG) of potable water per day and has steadily grown to the current level of 4.25 MIG of potable water per day in the year 2000.
Initially, the water was transported using small tugs and barges, and now currently an 8,000-ton and a 14,000-ton tanker, the M/T Dolphin and the M/T Titas respectively, are being used.
Approximately 55% of the water supply in New Providence is freshwater (an average of 300 ppm Chloride) that arrives from the Andros Well fields. The water is stored in three sets of earth mound reservoirs, which are polymer lined.
Water is removed from the reservoirs via two 300 horsepower pumps. Chlorine gas is added for disinfection purposes during extraction. Arawak Cay assists in maintaining the Corporations storage capacity, and services the following areas / pumping stations:
- Princess Margaret Hospital via the Fort Fincastle Station
- Blue Hills high level tank
- Cable Beach area
- Winton Station
- Paradise Island
- Prince Georges Wharf
- Prospect Station
PUMPING STATIONS
On the Island of New Providence there are nine pumping stations that distribute water throughout the island. The names of those stations are as follows:
- Blue Hills
- Arawak Cay
- Windsor
- Prospect Ridge
- Old Southwest
- Southwest No. 1
- Southwest No. 2
- Fort Fincastle
- Winton
At all pumping stations, there are tanks, which store all of the water collected, except Arawak Cay, which has reservoirs that store the water-barged daily from Andros to New Providence. In addition to these tanks and pumping stations, a desalination (RO) plant using water from Windsor Well fields, supplies water to the island.
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