Volume-Based Water Abstraction Fee Effective – WRA

Managing Director of the Water Resources Authority (WRA), Peter Clarke, says that the volume-based fee for water abstraction has been effective.

The fee was implemented in April 2018 for water abstraction across all 10 of the island’s hydrologic basins.

It enables abstractors to vary their licences to reflect their actual usage. This will ultimately result in the abstractor saving money, while enabling the WRA to provide licences to more persons.

“Persons may ask, why are they being charged for 100 cubic metres of water when they only use 10 cubic metres. This is because… based on the licence, we have to physically reserve that 100 cubic metres of water because your operation may at some point demand 100 cubic metres of water,” Mr. Clarke pointed out.

“The idea behind a volume-based fee is to use it as a management tool. What it does is allow the abstractor to decide if they want to abstract the volume that they have been licensed for or if they would like to reduce it through varying the licence,” he told JIS News.

Mr. Clarke said that the charges are calculated based on the amount of water the applicant is licensed to abstract and the purpose for which the water is used. The fee can be paid at the WRA’s office located at Hope Gardens, St. Andrew.

Meanwhile, Mr. Clarke told JIS News that the WRA has been working with the relevant authorities to fill in old wells.

“What was found in Clarendon was that criminal elements were utilising disused wells for nefarious activities and as such, we were contacted by the Clarendon (Municipal Corporation) to provide a listing of disused wells in the parish,” he said.

Mr. Clarke noted that a number of these well have already been sealed by the local authority.