Monday, June 11 – Residents, visitors and boaters of Jost Van Dyke are enjoying a regular supply of water now that the water extension project for the eastern end of the island is complete.

            Director of the Water and Sewerage Department Mr. Julian Willock said due to the economic development of Jost Van Dyke in the last few years, the demand for water has increased.

            “With the increase in population and the customers demanding more it became extremely necessary to extend water service to the eastern end of the island”, Mr. Willock explained. This has been the second expansion to the infrastructure development on Jost Van Dyke in recent months.

            As part of the project, petty contracts were awarded to Messrs. Abraham Coakley, Antonio Martin and Wendell Callwood to lay some 4,450 feet of water pipes and install four fire hydrants for a contract total of $94,291.98.

            In addition to the extension project, Mr. Willock stated that Government has approved the expansion of the desalination plant as the plant could no longer cope with the demand on the island for water.  It is hoped by the end of the project the desalination plant will produce up to 50,000 imperial gallons of water per day up from the 1500 imperial gallons it produces currently. 

The island of Jost Van Dyke first gained access to Government portable water in 2005. Mr. Willock said that the new expansion, expected to be completed by the end of September 2007, will be able to accommodate Jost Van Dyke residents for the next 10 to 15 years.

The expansion on Jost Van Dyke is in keeping with Government’s commitment to continue to strengthen the Territory’s infrastructure. The mandate of the Water and Sewerage Department, under the Ministry of Communications and Works, is to provide the people of the British Virgin Islands with a continued supply of portable water and an environmentally sound sewerage disposal service.