Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 20, 2016 (SKNIS): Ocean Earth Technologies (OET) has agreed to help rectify the water shortage problem in Basseterre, which the company warned about since 2009, says Minister of Public Infrastructure Honourable Ian Patches Liburd.
At the recent town hall meeting in Molineux, Minister Liburd, read from a report that was presented by Ocean Earth Technologies on June 16, 2016, saying “In 2009, Ocean Earth Technologies strongly recommended moving forward with a phase 2 investigation due to the threat of saltwater intrusion into the Basseterre Valley Aquifer well-field. This was predicted by OET to occur in 2014 or 2015 if pumping from the well-field continued at its 2009 withdrawal rates. In 2015, the well-field exhibited a spike in salt water intrusion as predicted by OET and the Water Department has been forced to institute water rationing and conservation protocols to reverse the saltwater intrusion into the wellfield.”
The Minister revealed that in January 2015 a contract was signed with a company called BEAD, just weeks before the Team Unity Administration took office. BEAD specializes in carrying out ground water development projects. He said that,within one year of signing the contract, BEAD should have supplied 2 million gallons of water. However, the contract was not fulfilled, said the Minister. Therefore the Team Unity Government took action in order to remedy the problem, said Minister Liburd.
“We were not going to sit idly by and have our people can’t shower in the night… or flush their toilets,” said Minister Liburd. “So… we approached Ocean Earth Technologies because OET was the company that warned in the past about the situation in Basseterre.”
The Minister said that, so far, Ocean Earth Technologies has “identified sites north of the airport to drill test supply wells. Right now there are RFP’s (Request for Proposals) for well drilling equipment. So, if anybody has well drilling equipment, put in your tender because they are going to drill seven observation wells in anticipation that two of these wells may produce approximately 1 million gallons of water to augment the source in Basseterre. So that is what Team Unity, your administration, is doing for you.”
Minister Liburd explained that, currently, the well-field supplies some 2.5 million gallons of water on a daily basis. He further explained that the well-field was used 24/7 for over 30 years.
According to the official Ocean Earth Technologies website, the company, which is based in Florida, describes itself as a leader in the environmental industry for over three decades.
“We have been leaders in the environmental industry for over three decades, and our approach of combining the use of cutting edge technology with traditional investigative methods has proven to aid clients in generating comprehensive solutions to geologic problems, water supply issues, and environmental impact analyses…
“We specialize in characterizing karst environments, delineating aquifer systems, and evaluating the geologic conditions and potential hazards across virtually any type of terrain or aquatic environment. We have provided services to clients throughout the United States as well as in Central America, the British West Indies, British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Bermuda, and Mexico. The goal of OET is to provide our clients with rapid, cost-effective, innovative and accurate solutions to their environmental needs by utilizing the most advanced exploratory techniques and instrumentation in our field.”
*************************
DISCLAIMER
This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKNVibes.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of SKNVibes.com, its sponsors or advertisers
