Work Underway Today To Address Water Issue
The Ministry of Public Works said they have “determined that the most efficient way to attempt to remedy the level of discoloration in the Prospect area water is to feed the affected area by a different transmission main” and said this work is being completed today.
The Ministry said, “Engineers and industrial staff within the Ministry of Public Works, in consultation with local industry consultants, have determined that the most efficient way to attempt to remedy the level of discoloration in the Prospect area water is to feed the affected area by a different transmission main.”
One example of the water some area residents have in their homes:
“This work is being completed today, 28 April 2016, and will have a high likelihood of stopping the introduction of discoloration from the old cast iron pipes.
“If this work is indeed successful, this is one major step in several necessary urgent works that must be completed to provide an acceptable level of service to the customers in the Cedar Park Estates and other adjacent affected areas.”
Minister of Public Works Craig Cannonier at the site of works taking place today
“This Ministry has set out to replace infrastructure that is many decades old and should have, by this time, long been replaced,” said Minister Cannonier. “I would like to assure the public that we are taking the matter very seriously.”
A letter previously sent to some of the residents follows below:
“Dear Resident,
“The Ministry sympathizes with your frustrations regarding the ongoing issue of intermittent discolored water being delivered to many of your homes, and appreciates your patience while we continue to work on resolving the issue. Please know that all available personnel are urgently working on determining the cause of this issue and developing solutions to remedy it.
“All water distributed by the Ministry of Public Works is treated to a high standard and meets all regulations before entering the distribution system. Samples of the discolored water are regularly tested and meet the standards for distributed potable [drinking] water set by the Department of Health.
“The distribution system in Prospect, over decades, was expanded from original early military infrastructure [Cast Iron [CI] and Ductile Iron [DI] pipe]. This original CI and DI pipe is likely failing in place, allowing iron from the failing pipes to mix into the potable water. However, there are challenges in determining in the field where some of the historical interconnections are due to limited historical records.
“On 15 February 2016 the Water and Sewage Section shut off the North distribution potable water mains between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm. This work was done as a part of an ongoing investigation into the potable water quality [discoloration] issues.
“The investigations determined that a CI main, past its useful life, was likely contributing to the majority of the water quality issues in the Central North Distribution System.
“It was imperative to sever this CI pipe connection to the system to improve the water quality to an acceptable service level. Severing this CI pipe from the North Distribution System provided a decrease in the overall frequency of discolored water events. Unfortunately, some residences are still experiencing the problematic issue more than others.
“Based on available maps and data, another possible location where the original early military CI pipe may be interconnected to the north distribution system was identified and works were carried out on 31 March 2016 to uncover this infrastructure and confirm this.
“The interconnection was confirmed but it was determined that the connection could not have contributed to the discoloration being experienced.
“It appears that the most efficient way to remedy the level of discoloration is to feed the affected area by a different transmission main. This work will likely be completed by 30 April 2016, and will have a higher likelihood of remedying the discoloration.
“Parallel to this activity, the Ministry will continue to look into other possible root causes as well as methods of mitigating the effect of this issue to its customers.
“In conjunction with remedying the discoloration issue, there are also plans to improve the flow and pressure of water to the clients in this area with the installation of a new pumping system which will have the ability to be powered by a backup generator.
“The ability to power the pumping system by backup generator will enable the Water and Sewage Section to reinitialize service soon after any power loss to maintain service to the area.
“In summary, the Ministry will continue to urgently investigate the discoloration problem that is affecting our customers in the Cedar Park area, Frog Lane apartments and other affected areas. We appreciate your patience during this time.
“For further enquiries and updates please contact our office at email: water@gov.bm and Telephone 278-0570.
“Sincerely,
“Water and Sewage Section
“Department of Works and Engineering
“Ministry of Public Works”
Brilliant news
Yes it is….Why wasn’t this matter dealt with under the former Government? (Progressive Labour Party)The pipes are old and they’re rusting which is / has been costing the discoloration
You must remember that area has always been a problem, even when the UBP(OBA) was Government and the number of police officers who lived in the area developed illnesses.
That doesn’t answer the question of why this wasn’t handled by the PLP
Raymond Ray,
Ask yourself why it wasn’t dealt with under YOUR former Government!!
Cedar Park was built under the UBP Government and they should have set our schedules to address EVERY infrastructure which would have enabled any party the means of monitoring systems.
Why didn’t your Government act on this sooner when the cries went out about this situation…better yet why didn’t your Minister visit the affected homes and enjoy a nice cold glass of water or a cup of tea
And while you are it, why don’t you read the Paper by Lynne Winfield to ask YOUR former Governments and their cronies why they didn’t deal with the matters of the despicable way we were treated
I wonder how long this problem would have existed if it was in Point Shares or Fairylands!!
Looks like the minister can use a drink of water at the work site. Please can someone in the area take him a glass of water the next time he is up there.
Man, that guy was the leader of Bermuda..Hahahahaha mercy clueless at best!
If the pipes at my house rust and water is discoloured will the government come and please fix it? It is a basic human right and the government is responsible for enforcing all my rights. Thanks.