Ferry Pipeline to be Operational by July

President of the National Water Commission (NWC), Mark Barnett, says the Ferry pipeline transmission main should be operational by July.

Work is under way to replace the broken, 18-inch transmission main along the Mandela Highway, which is buried 35-feet deep. The irreparable break has disrupted water supplied to sections of the Corporate Area, since last December.

Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on Monday (February 25), Mr. Barnett explained that the NWC had anticipated having the pipeline operational by the first week of April but noted that the timeline had to be revised due to the need for the acquisition of critical pieces of fittings.

“Certain aspects of the materials required have to be manufactured, and based on the lead time for manufacturing, they won’t be ready until just about the end of April/ May. By the time those are shipped and put in place, we will not likely see that transmission main activated until July 2019,” he noted.

The NWC is currently trucking water into the area, and there is scheduled supply from the Constant Spring, Mona and Hope treatment plants via some small mains.

“We try to give each affected area a 12-hour window for water to reach and at least a certain amount of time for persons to replenish their storage,” Mr. Barnett said.

He told JIS News that the agency is fast-tracking the construction of a temporary pipeline, which will result in some measurable improvement in the service-delivery to customers even as work continues on a permanent solution.

“We are trying our best to alleviate the situation,” Mr. Barnett assured, while imploring the affected residents to invest in water storage systems, note the supply schedule and conserve on usage.

The Ferry transmission main is used to direct water from the White Marl well fields through the Ferry pumping station and on to the Boulevard.

It serves several communities in Western St. Andrew, which are now faced with limited water supply.