The Tribune

A significant interruption in water supply left thousands of customers on Grand Bahama without running water and forced the early dismissal of some schools on Wednesday.

The disruption in water service occurred around 6.45am. A representative at the Grand Bahama Utility Company (GBUC) told The Tribune that there was an emergency and a crew was trying to resolve the situation.

Many residents experienced low water pressure, and others had no running water.

The Freeport Primary and Hugh Campbell Primary Schools in Freeport got out early, around 11 am, and parents were told to pick up their children. The Kindercare Learning Centre, a private pre-school in the Freeport area, was also dismissed around noon.

Marvin Rolle, of the Ministry of Education in Freeport, confirmed that the two public schools closed early and that parents were called, but he was not aware of any other schools being let out.

"They informed me that the water is trickling, but I cannot answer how (the students) are using the bathrooms," he said.

"The water company informed us that there is an island-wide water situation and that they had expected to have it fixed shortly. At the time we spoke, they gave us a time, and then later they asked for a little more time, and so we anticipate it will be resolved very soon."

Shortly after midday, water was completely restored.

Kim Miller, public relations and communications officer at the Grand Bahama Port Authority, said after service was restored their service teams called the schools to let them know that the water supply had been 100 per cent restored.

"It happened in the morning, and the minute we found out about it, we started to put announcements on the radio stations, and we had live reads advising the public," she said.

Remington Wilchcombe, of the GBUC, said that they were first alerted around 6.45 am to a disruption in the water supply.

"We had a breach on the main discharge line at our W6 plant over the bridge, and it affected residents on the island, mainly in the Lucaya area and down to the harbour," he said.

Mr Wilchcombe said residents would have experienced low pressure and those closest to the plant would have had no water at all.

When asked how many residents had been affected, he estimated that it would have ranged between 5,000 to 8,000 customers.

Mr Wilchcombe explained that the breach was caused by "wear and tear" of the pipe. He said the pipe is 24 inches in diameter and a substantial amount water was passing through it at the time.

"Wear and tear can occur over the years, and every now and again we can have a breach," he explained.