$220m water treatment project to begin in October

The government is to begin construction next month on a $220 million project to reclaim irrigation water from wastewater in a bid to support farming and protect the environment, the Barbados Water Authority announced on Wednesday.

BWA officials outlined the scope and timeline of the South Coast Water Reclamation Project at a public consultation town hall meeting at the Hawthorne Methodist Church, Worthing.

The project combines tertiary wastewater treatment, renewable energy and environmental protection to convert treated wastewater into water for irrigation. Major engineering works are expected to continue for two-and-a-half years until May 2029.

The primary contractor will support the initial operational phase until May 2032 to facilitate technology transfer and staff training.

The project is being financed through an international package comprising a $80m loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a $60m loan and a $80m grant from the Green Climate Fund.

The financing arrangement is further supported by a debt-conversion agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB), backed by a $300m guarantee.

“The main project objective is to improve water supply resilience and reliability through the provision of reclaimed water while strengthening sector-related institutions,” said Shelley Parris, project manager with the BWA’s Project Execution Unit.

“The Government of Barbados is the ultimate project owner and sovereign counterpart governing the entire project, while the Barbados Water Authority has been designated as the executing agency.”

While the project is expected to increase water availability from 98 cubic metres per person to 238 cubic metres by 2050, the island will still remain within global parametres for water scarcity, making long-term resource management vital, Parris said.

The project has four main components designed to improve the island’s water-management system. Facility upgrades include construction of the new South Coast Water Reclamation and Reuse Facility next to the existing Harmony Hall plant, upgrading treatment from primary to advanced secondary and tertiary levels.

The distribution network will include a 25-kilometre reclaimed-water pipeline running from the main facility at Graeme Hall through Christ Church and parts of St George to River Plantation, St Philip.

The renewable-energy component includes a seven-megawatt solar photovoltaic system equipped with battery storage to offset the facility’s power requirements. Institutional development will focus on capacity building, improved monitoring and specialised training programmes across the ministries of health, agriculture and environment.

The pipeline network will provide regular irrigation for between 160 and 1 320 hectares of farmland, directly benefiting 210 small farmers in areas including River Plantation, Silver Hill and Gibbons Bog, along with 260 additional producers along the route.

During the rainy season, the network will support aquifer recharge through specialised injection wells, helping to conserve drinking-water reserves. The treatment complex borders the Graeme Hall Swamp, an internationally recognised Ramsar wetland site. The move to tertiary treatment is expected to reduce chemical run-off, protect coastal marine ecosystems and eliminate local odour problems that have affected nearby residents.

Engineering, procurement and construction work is being carried out by China Railway Shanghai Engineering, with local oversight from AECOM as contract administrator and SAEDI Consulting Barbados responsible for environmental compliance. 

Ian Constantine, project coordinator for the South Coast Water Reclamation Project, confirmed that preliminary site preparation had begun near Harmony Hall.

“The contractor has already commenced mobilisation on site. Currently, some of the temporary access roads have already been constructed,” Constantine stated in the technical presentation. “Over 20 containers have already been delivered on site, alongside cranes and construction vehicles. The master schedule for this project has been approved, and construction is going to begin within the month of October.”

The first structural work would focus on the foundation for the plant’s main bioreactor tank, a process expected to take six to eight weeks, Constantine said . The project uses a design-build model, under which all technical specifications must receive formal government approval before installation. The contractor has engaged Barbadian subcontractors for surveying, geotechnical engineering, heavy-equipment rental and site preparation.

Addressing environmental safeguards during construction, project managers confirmed that early dust complaints were resolved through regular site watering and ground-covering measures.

The town hall meeting formed part of the statutory public consultation process for the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP).

To support long-term sustainability and reliable operations, the facility will include an on-site testing laboratory. Several regulatory agencies will independently monitor influent and effluent water quality throughout the plant’s operational life.

Community outreach, community liaison programmes and regular public briefings are to continue throughout the 30-month construction period as civil works advance along the south coast corridor.

(RR)