Residents of Basseterre and nearby communities can expect improved water access soon, as final testing of the new two‑million‑gallon desalination plant at Bird Rock is nearing completion.
Teams from the Water Services Department and Royal Utilities report that the reverse osmosis facility has performed exceptionally well, consistently meeting microbiological and other quality benchmarks.
Royal Utilities Ltd., which already oversees desalination operations for the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, is collaborating with the government on this major project. Speaking at the National Discussion on Water on December 10 at the CUNA Conference Room, General Manager Gerry Moise explained that sourcing seawater from the Caribbean Sea is a strategic choice. He noted that the Atlantic side poses greater challenges due to higher salinity and recurrent sargassum blooms, which frequently obstruct seawater intakes and disrupt operations.
“This new plant benefits tremendously from being on the Caribbean side,” Moise said. “The water there is clean and pristine. We conducted multiple analyses during the environmental impact assessment before choosing the final site.” He added that the Bureau of Standards continues to monitor water quality to ensure it meets international requirements. “The quality of water from this plant is significantly higher than what the Marriott system produces—and we haven’t received a single complaint about Marriott’s water in over 20 years.”
Moise praised the government’s decision to adopt desalination as a long‑term solution to the island’s water shortages, which have worsened due to declining rainfall.
“We fully stand behind our product,” he said. “Desalination has been used reliably worldwide for 50 years. It’s encouraging to see St. Kitts embracing this approach because it delivers water people can trust.”
The National Discussion on Water was held under the theme “Embracing Desalination for a Sustainable Future.”
(Source: ZIZ Online)