Last July, government commissioned a $1.8 million wastewater treatment plant near the Ivan Dawson Primary School in Cane Garden Bay.
Now, another $4 million is needed to complete the collection system that will carry wastewater to the facility from the village’s homes and businesses, Deputy Premier Kye Rymer said in response to questions from then-opposition member Carvin Malone during a recent House of Assembly meeting.
This estimated budget includes decommissioning the existing low-pressure collection system and building a new gravity collection system, according to Mr. Rymer, who is also the minister of communications and works. This work, which previously had been scheduled to start early this year, will take approximately 18 months, he said during a Jan. 26 HOA meeting. He didn’t provide a start date.
New facility
The new treatment plant, which is designed to serve the community for 30 years or more, can process 400 cubic meters of waste per day and has the capacity to be expanded, MCW Permanent Secretary Ronald Smith-Berkeley said when it was commissioned last year.
The existing collection system, however, has been plagued with serious issues for years, Mr. Rymer explained on Jan. 26 in response to questions from Mr. Malone.
The government initially awarded Caribbean Basin Enterprises, Ltd. — a company affiliated with Mr. Malone — a contract in 1996 to install a low-pressure collection system with 36 pump stations, Mr. Rymer said.
Most of those were placed on private properties, and all led to the former treatment plant, he added. The system was commissioned the following year. However, Mr. Rymer said, the project suffered from several maintenance issues.
“The system required a high level of technical expertise that resulted in the system being inoperable for long periods of time while being repaired,” Mr. Rymer said.
Operation costs proved to be expensive as well — particularly to electrify and replace parts for the pumps, he said. When Water and Sewerage Department personnel went to maintain the pumps located on private property, they also encountered “civil issues,” according to the minister.
In the long term, environmental hazards arose when fiberglass pump stations placed in high-saline areas collapsed over time, he said.
“The project will address all of the aforementioned challenges as it relates to sewerage collection and treatment in the Cane Garden Bay area,” Mr. Rymer pledged on Jan. 26.
Mr. Malone also inquired about the initial estimated cost to replace grinder pumps and repair the existing stations.
While Mr. Rymer said he was able to confirm that the Water and Sewerage Department received a cost estimate, but the department couldn’t confirm the exact amount of that estimate because relevant records were damaged after the 2017 hurricanes.
On Mr. Malone’s request, however, he did provide records of payment to private service operators for waste removal from inoperable lift stations from 2015 to 2020.
K&K Heavy Equipment and Sewerage Disposal received the most, at $189,264. Connect Enterprises Ltd. Received $20,600; Ricky’s 24-Hour Trucking and Heavy Equipment received $9,300; and Triple “L” Heavy Equipment Rental received $2,800, according to records Mr. Rymer shared in the House.