A $1,799,515.15 project to design and build a 400-cubic-meter-per-day-capacity wastewater treatment plant near the Ivan Dawson Primary School in Cane Garden Bay was officially commissioned on Tuesday morning.
Ronald Smith-Berkeley, the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Communications and Works, said that the plant should serve the Cane Garden Bay community for 30 years or more, and that it has the capacity to be expanded if needed.
Deputy Premier Kye Rymer, the minister of communications and works, said the nearly $1.8 million contract was awarded to the United States-based company Toshiba Water Solutions in 2019.
A second phase of the project — connecting homes and businesses to the plant — will begin early next year, he added.
The minister also noted that an outdated sewage system has plagued the territory with issues for years.
“Dilapidated infrastructure, aging pipelines, a growing population that adds stress to the system are all key reasons why it’s important and imperative to modernise our sewage network,” he said. “There were three sewage plants on Tortola in 2019 and none were working to their optimal levels.”
By the end of the month, he said, another contract will be signed to bring the Burt Point plant back online in order to help remedy the sewage problems in the Road Town area. He added that fixing the Paraquita Bay plant is also a priority.