NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Severe weather, operational challenges, and the closure of the Glass Window Bridge have disrupted water supply to North Eleuthera, Harbour Island, Spanish Wells, Russell Island, and surrounding areas, according to the Water and Sewerage Corporation.
In a statement on Tuesday, the corporation noted: “Initially, unexpected generator fueling complications and grid power supply challenges at the Bogue Desalination Plant and the Naval Base site in Central Eleuthera led to a disruption in water production late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. Despite these obstacles, our teams quickly and successfully restored power at the Naval Base facility, restoring the water supply for Central Eleuthera communities from Gregory Town to Savannah Sound.”
The corporation noted that subsequent mechanical issues at the Bogue Desalination Plant’s generator and a transformer failure onsite prompted emergency efforts to secure parts, technicians from New Providence, and alternative power sources. Weather and logistical constraints posed significant challenges, delaying the movement of critical equipment and personnel.
“With the help of BPL, WSC was able to restore some water production at our Bogue Desalination Plant on Sunday afternoon and therefore able to resume some, but not the normal water supply, to North Eleuthera, Harbour Island, and Spanish Wells & Russell Island. Once the Glass Window Bridge was opened on Monday morning, a large generator from South Eleuthera was delivered to the Bogue Plant and tied in,” WSC noted.
It also stated that as of yesterday afternoon, it has worked with BPL and the Desalination Plant Contractor to resume full water production at the Bogue Desalination Plant, utilizing all three desalination units. Additionally, the wellfield production has been restarted.
“WSC will be working with BPL over the next few days to ensure that our Bogue wellfield is fully energized and achieving maximum water production to serve as an added contingency wherever we face challenges with the desalination plant. Further, two (2) new generators are being shipped to Eleuthera—one to further reinforce the Bogue Desalination Plant (we will now have two full capacity generators at that site) and one to reinforce power supply at our Waterford Desalination Plant.”
In addition to the ongoing restoration efforts by its dedicated Eleuthera teams, WSC deployed a senior manager from Nassau to the island on Monday morning. This senior manager has been working closely with on-island personnel to coordinate and accelerate the restoration of water supply, as well as to ensure that systems across the island are well-prepared for the upcoming holidays. This includes confirming that all standby power generators are fully serviced and that a fueling plan is in place for the holiday period. Additional work is scheduled to begin this Thursday at the Naval Base Desalination Plant to further enhance water production capabilities, ensuring more reliable service during the holidays and beyond.
“Water supply to our valued customers on North Eleuthera and Spanish Wells & Russell Island has returned to their normal supply levels, and our valued customers on Harbour Island will experience an improvement in their water supply during the remainder of today. We understand the inconvenience these interruptions have caused, and we remain committed to providing quality, reliable water services. We deeply appreciate the patience and understanding shown by our valued customers during this period. Our dedicated teams continue to work tirelessly to stabilize the system and reinforce the power supply required for uninterrupted water production and distribution,” WSC concluded.
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