By Admin. Updated 5:02 p.m., Tuesday, February 11, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
The Central Water and Sewage Authority (CWSA) has reported yet another break in its water supply system affecting parts of North Leeward due to land slippage.
On February 11, the pipeline system in the Copeland Mountains in Rose Hall, which supplies water to communities from Spring Village to Richmond, broke for the fourth time in less than a month as a result of successive landslides.
The pipe system initially broke on January 25, followed by additional breaks on January 28 and February 3. The most recent break occurred today, February 11.
In a statement released on February 11, the CWSA said that due to the incessant rains experienced this morning, the temporary transmission main pipeline in the Copeland Mountains has suffered another breakage. This disruption has affected the water supply for communities from Spring Village to Richmond.
“Currently, the CWSA’s teams are mobilizing to effect repairs as soon as possible, but must exercise caution due to the waterlogged conditions in the mountains,” the State-run company said.
“As stated previously, The CWSA’s network remains vulnerable due to the instability in that area, which developed after loose dirt was deposited there, creating a precarious situation,” the company said.
The CWSA said it is working on a more permanent solution in the Copeland Mountains, namely to re-route pipeline from the troubled area to mitigate against future breakages.
“While repairs are under way, the CWSA will distribute water to the affected communities,” the company said.
The CWSA said it thanks the residents of the affected areas for their continued understanding and cooperation and regrets any inconvenience caused.
Here are reports from previous breakages.
February 3, 2025 breakage
Reports coming out of the Copeland Mountains in Rose Hall by the CWSA’s technical team indicate that there is another breakage to the transmission main pipeline. This is due to further earth movements triggered by persistent rainfall.
The first land slippage occurred on January 25th, 2025 and caused the pipeline to sever, resulting in a water disruption to communities from Spring Village to Richmond.
The CWSA’s network remains vulnerable due to the instability in that area, which developed after loose dirt was deposited there.
Today, February 3rd 2025, the CWSA is again reporting that another section of the pipeline was dislodged and that our teams have already been mobilized to effect the necessary repairs.
While repairs are under way, the CWSA will simultaneously distribute water to the affected communities.
The CWSA thanks the residents of the affected areas for their continued understanding and cooperation and regrets any inconvenience caused.
January 28 breakage
The CWSA is reporting that after repairs were completed last night, Monday January 27th, on the previously reported damage to its network in the Copeland Mountain, a subsequent landslide was triggered this morning, detaching another section of pipeline.
Currently, communities from Spring Village to Richmond are once again without a supply. Restoration work is already under way to have repairs completed as soon as possible.
The CWSA will continue to update as more information becomes available and apologizes for any inconvenience caused.
January 25 breakage
As was reported by the Central Water and Sewerage Authority earlier today, January 25th, 2025, a massive landslide in Copeland, Rose Hall caused severe damage to the main transmission line, resulting in a disruption to the water supply for residents from Spring Village to Richmond.
Our technical teams visited the site to assess the damage and have determined that the best possible solution is to reroute the transmission main from the affected area.
In the meantime, the CWSA water distribution teams are in the affected communities to distribute water. This will continue until repairs are completed. Customers are asked to be on the lookout for the distribution vehicles.
Please ensure that adequate and appropriate containers are available to receive water.
The CWSA expresses its sincere thanks to those affected for their understanding and cooperation.
UPDATE
The Central Water and Sewerage Authority wishes to update the general public on the water disruption from Spring Village to Richmond, which occurred on Saturday, 25th January 2025;
As was reported earlier, the broken pipeline was a result of a landslide in the Copeland Mountains. The described landslide occurred as a result of unstable conditions caused by the dumping of loose material in the vicinity of CWSA’s transmission pipeline by a private contractor.
The steep drop of approximately 250 feet below the established road to the work site presents its own unique challenges while trenching.
The CWSA’s technical teams have been on the job from the onset, as we work to restore the water supply to disrupted communities in the earliest possible time.
Currently, the work is laborious and dependent on the weather conditions in the area.
Since the 25th, it has been raining consistently which poses a threat to the early completion of the work. However, our teams continue to work tirelessly to reestablish the water network while we continue to distribute water to the affected communities.
The CWSA apologizes for any inconvenience caused and thanks the communities for their continued understanding.
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