By Steve Thomas
Observer Nevis Editor
(Charlestown, Nevis) – Nevis is about to get less thirsty.
Relief for parts of Nevis that have been facing a water shortage for the last six weeks will be earlier than expected, according to the Nevis Island Administration.
The Hon. Carlisle Powell, Junior Minister with responsibility for Public Utilities in the NIA, made the announcement on June 1 during a visit the Business Ghaut drill site. He was joined by the senior scientist to the water exploration project, Geologist Dr. Ronald Hoag of Bedrock Exploration and Development Technologies.
“The good news is that even though we have a well at Hickmans that is down, we are very close to the reservoir here at Fothergills. Dr. Hoag has given us a very marvelous suggestion, in that, once the water at this well is tested, once the quality is good, BEAD is prepared to give us a line from here [Business Ghaut] straight to the reservoir,” Mr. Powell said.
“So we will be able to put this water into the system very, very, quickly and we are hopeful that we will be able to do that, run a temporary line to the reservoir [and] once we get that water into the system, it would bring immediate relief to the people,” he said.
Drilling had reached a depth of 800 feet, a depth which they expected to find a fairly large amount of water, Dr. Hoag said. He explained that his goal was to find half a million gallons of water per day from that location and the indications were that the goal could be achieved.
Last week Premier of Nevis Hon Joseph Parry had announced that relief from the six week drought was expected in four weeks, based on the findings of another well drilled by BEAD in the Maddens area.
That well was clocked with a production rate of 300 gallons of water per minute. He said the “new” water would become available for use by the second week of June, when the Business Ghaut well would be connected to the existing water system.
