• Category

  • Content Type

Advertisement

Ground Broken for $2.3 Billion Portmore Sewage Project

By: , September 12, 2014

The Key Point:

Ground was officially broken on Tuesday, September 9 for the $2.3 billion Portmore Sewage Project in St. Catherine, which will provide improved sewage treatment facilities for some 200,000 residents.
Ground Broken for $2.3 Billion Portmore Sewage Project
Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill (2nd left), participates in the ground breaking for the $2.3 billion Portmore sewage project on Tuesday, September 9, at the Bridgeport treatment plant in the municipality. Others (from left) are: Head of contracting company, Surrey Paving and Aggregate, Leslie Chang; Councillor for the Independence City Division, Keith Blake; Acting Mayor of Portmore, Councillor Leon Thomas; and Member of Parliament for South East St. Catherine, Hon. Colin Fagan.

The Facts

  • To be undertaken by the National Water Commission (NWC) over a period of approximately 45 months, the works will involve decommissioning of the five existing wastewater treatment plants, which are in disrepair.
  • Minister Pickersgill said adequate potable water and efficient waste management and sanitation strategies are “critical inputs for business and investment creation.

The Full Story

Ground was officially broken on Tuesday, September 9 for the $2.3 billion Portmore Sewage Project in St. Catherine, which will provide improved sewage treatment facilities for some 200,000 residents.

To be undertaken by the National Water Commission (NWC) over a period of approximately 45 months, the works will involve decommissioning of the five existing wastewater treatment plants, which are in disrepair.

The plants at Independence City, Bridgeport, Hamilton Gardens, and Caymanas Gardens, which receive a combined flow of just over 18,200 cubic metres per day, will be converted into transfer pumping stations for the delivery of sewage to the Soapberry Wastewater Treatment Plant, which has the capacity to treat some 75,000 cubic metres of sewage per day.

Minister of Water, Land, Environment, and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, in his remarks at the groundbreaking held at the Bridgeport treatment plant, said the project is geared towards addressing the sanitation needs of a community that is growing and, as such, “is of great significance”.

“I have no doubt that inadequate waste management will cease to be a factor in Portmore and its environs, as a result of this project, which also signifies our commitment to enhance the environmental health of the community, as well as the health and safety of its residents,” Mr. Pickersgill said.

Stating that the project will aid in the “continued economic growth of Portmore”, the Minister said adequate potable water and efficient waste management and sanitation strategies are “critical inputs for business and investment creation.

He urged the project contractor, Surrey Paving and Aggregate, to ensure that the works are completed on time, and well within budgetary and quality requirements.

The project should take about 24 months to design and build, with engineering designs to take another three to four months, after which construction should take 18 to 20 months. The contractor will be required to operate the reconfigured system for a further 24 months.

Last Updated: September 12, 2014

Skip to content