ST. JOHN’S Antigua, 15th September, 2023 – The Antigua Public Utilities Authority recognizes the importance of access to water for public health and economic growth. The circumstances of the ongoing drought are the worst that we have experienced in Antigua dating back to 1928. Surface water production ceased more than two years ago and groundwater production has decreased by seventy-five per cent.
The Crabbs Reverse Osmosis Plant formerly Sembcorp, originally commissioned in 1998, contains six units with a total installed capacity of 4 million imperial gallons. In 2022, two units were successfully refurbished yielding an increased 1.6 million imperial gallons per day, renewing the average daily production to 3.8 million imperial gallons per day. The previous average daily production was 2.8 million imperial gallons per day due to aging units.
The Crabbs Reverse Osmosis Plant serves as our largest production source providing potable water to 50% of consumers in Antigua within the central communities including Crabbs through Long Bay, Mount Joy through Liberta, Long Bay through Five Islands, Buckley’s Line through Golden Grove and surroundings, Cassada Gardens through Boons Point and All Saints Road through John Hughes.
Reverse Osmosis Plants are in operation on a continuous basis. Maintenance is required to keep the units running at optimal performance and may require one or more units to be taken offline to facilitate safe repairs. During the period when units are offline, water production will be reduced. This will ultimately affect the water distribution. Recently, units 4 and 6 were taken offline to solve a vibration fault and to replace a mechanical seal respectively.
The temporary unavailability of these units caused an interruption to the distribution schedule resulting in longer periods between service days. We are pleased to report that the repairs to the affected units have been completed and the six units at the Crabbs Reverse Osmosis Plant are in operation. The projected daily production should be between 3.6 to 3.8 million imperial gallons.
The Antigua Public Utilities Authority remains resolute in combating the current deficit in water production and distribution resulting from the ongoing drought. Our main goal is to continue investing in a more reliable production source, refurbishing our distribution network, increasing our storage capacity and modernizing our analytical equipment
