Barbados Water Authority Limited (BWA), a government
statutory corporation, is the sole provider of water services. Water supplied by the BWA in Barbados is pumped from wells within natural
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...
aquifers. The geology of Barbados is mostly composed of
karst limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
which acts as a filter medium within the aquifers. The water service in Barbados is reliable and the water supply is safe and refreshing to drink, although the water source naturally of high quality; the BWA treats the
potable water supply with
chlorine
Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine i ...
to comply with
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
(WHO) standards.
Desalination plant
Due to high demand, a
desalination plant was built to augment the existing groundwater. Currently supplying for up to 20 per cent of the population, the joint
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
and Williams Industries-owned facility at Brighton,
St. Michael; it currently produces about 23,000 cubic metres of potable water per day, (with maximum capacity for 30,000 cubic metres.)
The plant takes brackish water from ten 80-foot wells located near its St. Michael operation and the water is pretreated and then desalted to produce potable water.
Desalinated water for more households with improved network
/ref>
Distribution network
Typically, water is conveyed by pumps at the individual sources to elevated reservoirs for storage before distribution to consumers by gravity. The headquarters of the BWA are at The Pine in St Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
.
Prior to the introduction of indoor plumbing to all of the houses on the island, it was a common practice for most areas in Barbados to have a communal-based standpipe. Neighbourhood standpipes have since been turned off at many points across the island due to several instances where persons were found using the standpipe to conduct things like washing their cars in order to avoid paying for the high water usage at their residence.
References
Further reading
St. Michael BWRO Desalination Plant, BarbadosAbout Ionics Freshwater Limited
Williams Industries
Water and the Consumer
- Barbados Ministry of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development
Caves and landslips in Barbados
- September 16, 2007: Barbados Advocate
External links
Barbados Water Authority - BWA
- Official website
Ionics Freshwater Limited
Government agencies of Barbados
Service companies of Barbados
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