By Adrian Frater, News EditorWESTERN BUREAU:
THE NATIONAL Water Commission (NWC) is now seeking approximately US$100m to finance yet another phase of its ambitious North-coast Master Plan, which is aimed at addressing the water supply need of all areas spanning the coastal strip from Negril, Westmoreland to Port Maria, St. Mary.
The announcement was made by the NWC's president, E.G. Hunter, during last Friday's tour, in which members of the commission's board were given a firsthand look at projects such as the Negril Sewerage System, the Logwood Treatment Plant and the Montego Bay Sewerage System, which collectively cost over US$50 million.
"This project is going to cost a pretty penny and getting the required funding is not going to be easy," said Mr. Hunter, who said a start-up date for the project is dependent on securing the required funding. "We are hopeful that our success with projects such as the Logwood Treatment Plant and Lucea/Negril Water Supply Scheme will work in our favour as we seek funding."
In regards to the projects already completed or that are now on-stream, Mr. Hunter said the US$16 million Logwood Plant, which provides 7.5 millions gallons of water per day to Negril and Lucea, has been working quite well for the past two and a half years; while the Great River/Lucea project, which is expected to provide five million gallons of water daily on completion, is ahead of schedule.
In regards to the US$40 million Great River/Lucea project, which will see 22 kilometre of pipelines taking water from Great River to Lucea and its environs, Mr. Hunter said under that project, the company is also carrying out an extensive leak detection and repairs programme, which is aimed at improving the service and providing greater efficiency.
At the Montego Bay Sewage System at Bogue, where the company is using its revolutionary Facultative Pond Technology to process the raw sewage generated in the western city, Mr. Hunter said the system was so efficient that the water from the purified effluent is being used to cool the turbines at the nearby Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) Bogue Expansion Plant under a special arrangement with that company.
