Ground Broken for Water Supply Scheme in St. Catherine

Ground was broken by the Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang, for the construction of the Colbeck Heights/Bartons/Red Ground water supply scheme, at Red Ground, St. Catherine on February 29.
The project, which is to be undertaken at a cost of some $40 million, will serve over 6,000 residents in the communities of Red Ground, Bartons and Colbeck Heights in the parish.
Work is expected to be completed within 16 weeks by Baachus Engineering Works Limited, the company which has been awarded the contract.
Some of the work to be undertaken include the laying of transmission pipelines to Bartons, extending the existing distribution pipeline to Red Ground and the construction of a booster station and the installation of pumps at Colbeck Heights and Red Ground treatment plants.
A relift station will be installed at Colbeck Heights and a new pipeline laid to take water to the Red Ground treatment plant. Upgrading will also be done on the Sands filter plant and the Red Cap river intake. Storage tanks will also be built and installed at Colbeck Heights, Red Ground and Bartons.
In his address, Dr. Chang said that since October 2006, 14 contracts totalling some $90 million have been tendered for several water projects in rural communities. He noted that the Ministry is committed “to improving the reliability, the quality and the amount of water available to our citizens.”
The Minister said that discussions were in progress for the construction of the Kitson Town water supply scheme to serve several communities in Central St. Catherine.
“We intend to begin work in that area this financial year, which means between this March and March of next year, to ensure that the entire Central St. Catherine have a reliable water supply,” he added.
Another project, the Minister said, that would improve the water supply in St. Catherine was the Ferry water supply system, situated on the border of St. Andrew. “We are at a very advanced stage of planning and implementing a programme, which will bring another 5 million gallons of water to the system, which will be shared between the Corporate Area and St. Catherine,” he said. Work will include the construction of a desalination plant at Ferry and the rehabilitation of wells and treatment plants in the area.
Dr. Chang urged the residents at Red Ground to protect the system when it is completed and to report any illegal connections.
Other speakers at the ceremony were Minister of State in the Ministry, Everald Warmington and Mayor of Spanish Town, Dr. Andrew Wheatley.