Reservoir reconstruction on JVD nearly complete

The reservoir being constructed on Jost Van Dyke. (Photo by the Department of Water & Sewerage)

Construction of the steel water tank/reservoir that is being erected on Jost Van Dyke is nearly complete.

Once construction is completed, this new reservoir will have a capacity of up to 28 feet of water.

In explaining how the capacity of the tank will arrive at 28 feet, the Department of Water & Sewerage explained: “Additional blue panels would be added to the body of the tank to heighten the tank/make it taller.”

The department added: “A bypass would be installed, and this would provide the flexibility to provide service to customers regardless of what happens to the tank. We are rebuilding with resilience in mind.”

No specific timeline has been given as to when the construction will be completed. But, currently, the roofing of the structure is being installed, the Water & Sewerage department said.

Jost Van Dyke residents have been without a reservoir since the September 2017 disasters destroyed the sole reservoir on the island.

Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communication and Works Jeremy Hodge had told BVI News months ago that a resident on the island had agreed to allow his personal cisterns to be used to pump water to the rest of the island, in the interim.

Reservoir repair and restoration projects, which are being undergone on reservoirs across various sections of the territory, is a joint partnership between the BVI and the United Kingdom.

The BVI is paying roughly $150,000, which will go towards a part of the labour cost, while the UK would cover the remaining cost, which has not been divulged.

Hodge had however noted that some of the reservoirs can cost up to a million dollars each. The work is being undertaken by a seven-man team from Florida Aqua Store.

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