THE BARBADOS WATER Authority has issued an update on the South Coast sewage leak.
In a release issued tonight, the BWA said after the repairs to an effluent pump were carried out last Tuesday, another effluent pump failed on Friday night and was repaired and reinstated by Saturday night.
“However, even though all the effluent pumps have been running continuously since Saturday, the sewage flows in the collection system continue to be high resulting in sewage overflows in the areas between St Lawrence Gap and Hastings, Christ Church.
“In addition, the water levels in Graeme Hall Swamp continue to be elevated due to the recent rainfall, resulting in some overflows in neighbouring districts and some infiltration into the sewer collection system,” the release stated.
In this regard, the BWA said it was collaborating with the Drainage Division of the Ministry of Environment and Drainage to manage and control the Graeme Hall water levels. The BWA is also conducting inspections of the low-lying areas that are connected to the sewage collection network to ensure all junction boxes are properly plugged to stop surface water inflows into the system; a number of junction box plugs were missing and they were replaced.
The Authority expects a combination of these measures will assist in the reduction of the overflow of sewage from the manholes.
The Barbados Water Authority apologised for the inconvenience caused to the residents and businesses on the South Coast. (PR/NB)