The WSC said that it needs to replenish “critically low” water storage reserves, and will try to ensure adequate supplies in the mornings and evenings, but, until further notice, consumers can expect cutbacks during the middle of the day and at night.
Due to a “combination of problems” involving distribution, the corporation said in a press release, New Providence areas fed by the Blue Hills and Prospect “pumping zones” can expect low water pressures.
The Blue Hills pumping zones include: South Beach, Carmichael Road, Golden Gates, Bel-air Estates, Sunset Park, Coral Harbour, Adelaide, Flamingo Gardens “and other areas” supplied by the station.
The Prospect pumping zone includes: Prospect Ridge, Boyd Subdivision, Stapledon Gardens, Oakes Field, Bain Town, St. James Road and Sutton Street, “and other areas supplied by Prospect station.”
The WSC also appealed to consumers to conserve water by restricting its use to essential purposes only, which did not include watering gardens, washing cars, or “other open hose activities.”
The corporation apologized for the inconvenience caused, stating that it “is working diligently to improve the situation.”
On Jan. 23, acting general manager of the corporation, Godfrey Sherman in a public announcement, stressed the need for conservation, advising that, as more than 50 per cent of New Providence’s water supply was being barged in, shipping factors were an important consideration.
“Because of the cold fronts, we have been losing from out of storage, almost a million to a million and a half gallons of water a day,” he said, “so right now, our water storage level is just about 50 per cent of the capacity.
“We are just asking residents to be patient with us,” he appealed, “because during the day, we do have to cut back on certain pressures in certain areas, so that we would be able to afford to have a good supply during the peak periods.”
Again, on April 25, the WSC made another appeal to consumers to conserve water because of problems experienced with its distribution system, resulting in low pressure.
At the time, Glen Laville, the corporation’s Assistant Manager, cited electricity supply problems, which subsequently lead to mechanical difficulties.
In another advisory issued on May 1, the WSC
asked consumers to conserve water, as the production shortfall stood at one million gallons per day, which it attributed to a dry season.
During a press conference to announce the 13th Annual Water Week in May, general manager Sherman said that water wastage due to leakage was a very real concern of the corporation, resulting in over 1,000 complaints per month.
Noting that a lot of the water that is provided by the corporation is still unaccounted for, he said,
“There is the perception that all is wasted. We have some ideas of where some of the water not accounted for is, but one of the areas where we have to put the primary concern on is leakage. The fact that we have over 500 miles of pipework in the network, means that we do need the public’s support in reporting any leakage or wastage that they can see.”
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
