The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) has a geologist on its board and would therefore be fully apprised of the geology of the country.
However, the need for the introduction of a coloured dye into the injection wells to determine the general course the effluent would take indicates a lack of detailed knowledge of the geology of the area.
In view of the above, it would perhaps be wise to carry out detailed seismic surveys in the location of the wells in order to enhance the knowledge of the subsurface structure of the earth before the introduction of effluent into the wells. One of course assumes that only treated sewage, devoid of any solids, would be injected into these wells or deposited anywhere else.
In addition to the above measures, as has already been suggested, an alternative pipeline from the plant should be constructed out to sea at a distance and depth determined by the engineers, in order to buy time to repair, upgrade or replace the existing pipeline.
The long-term solution to the problem would of course be to replace those pipes where the blockage occurs and upgrade or replace the sewage plant in order that the treated waste is as near as feasible to potable water. This is so that all is not lost out to sea or in underground fissures, but used whenever possible for irrigation in the ministry’s nearby agricultural fields at Graeme Hall.
– GREGORY PHILLIPS
