Relief to water rationing on the horizon

By Zaya Williams

Residents can breathe a sigh of relief as the recent deluge caused by Tropical Storm Philippe has brought a welcome respite from water rationing.

The Cabinet recently announced that Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) will soon be able to relax water rationing measures once the soil runoff from the storm settles.

And confirming this promising development, which signals a significant improvement in the island’s water supply situation, Ian Lewis, APUA’s Water Business Unit Manager, provided further insights during a recent interview with state media.

Lewis stated, ” Potworks reservoir provides atleast 1.5 million gallons per day and the Bendal plant will provide about 300,000 gallons per day so together that’s pretty close to 2 million gallons. That will really ease some of the restrictions that we are having and I can say that we should be in a position to totally relax the present rationing schedule.”

He did, however, note that the transition might take up to a week as the sources need time to be fully operational.

Tropical Storm Philippe, which unleashed more than 8 inches of rainfall in Antigua, led to a significant increase in water levels in numerous dams and reservoirs across the island.

Potworks Dam, with a capacity of 1.2 billion gallons of water, is now approximately one-third full. With daily water extractions, this stored water can sustain the island for over three months.

Furthermore, when considering the combined capacity of all the water treatment plants and catchment areas, the island’s water infrastructure can now produce nearly 9 million gallons of water daily.

This capacity surpasses the anticipated demand for APUA water, which is expected to fall below 8 million gallons daily.

Despite the improved water supply, Lewis emphasized the importance of responsible water conservation practices among consumers.