The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

HARBOUR Island residents and small business operators say continued water woes are forcing them to absorb mounting costs, disrupting commerce and threatening to undermine the island’s tourism-driven economy.

Ms Roberts, who works at a hotel and also operates a small home-based cooking business, said her household has been without water for about five days after returning from vacation, leaving her storage tank dry and she is unable to prepare food for sale.

“We're not coping really well now. It's been a really rough period with this water. This water is a big problem, and it needs to be solved,” she said. “I cook from home. I do a little cooking three times a week, and I need water. I can't cook without it.”

Ms Roberts said the disruption has meant she has been forced to spend heavily on bottled water for cooking, cleaning and other household needs.

“Sometimes every day I spend over $50 just for water, and I honestly feel that's not nice, especially if I'm cooking. That's twice a day. You have to buy water because I need a lot of water,” she said. “That $50 is cutting into the profit that I would have made.”

Another Harbour Island resident, who asked not to be identified, said their area had also gone four days without water, describing the situation as “punishment” and lamented that residents were being left to cope on their own.

“We still don't have water. We haven't had water in my area now for four days. No one is saying anything,” the resident said. “They're giving you updates just saying, ‘Okay, water will be disrupted, water pressure will be low.’ But I live in an area where we hardly have water. I live on a hill, so what they always tell us is we're going to be the last to get water.”

The resident said the latest disruption was part of a recurring problem in which water can return for short periods before disappearing again. “This happens. You get running water for one week straight, and after that one week straight, nothing,” the resident said.

The water woes are also creating additional household expenses, with the anonymous resident noting they spent $72 on prepared food for her family because they were unable to cook. “Today, I had to go and buy four or five plates of food. I can't cook. How could you cook with no water? That was $72 and, on top of that, you have to purchase water today to keep clean,” the resident said.

The resident said the cost of living on Harbour Island is already high, with unreliable water adding another expense.

“You pay to live in Harbour Island. You have to have a generator. You have to pay for water. You have to pay for the gas in your generator. You just have to pay to live in Harbour Island. It's totally insane,” the resident said.

The disruption has also spilled into the new school year, with Harbour Island All-Age School telling parents on Friday it could not safely continue the school day because there was no running water in the building and asking them to collect their children.

Ms Roberts said the situation is particularly difficult for households with children and elderly family members. “We have kids. My mom is old. We have babies living here. We have little kids. Now it's time for school tomorrow. No clean uniforms,” she said.

She said residents were concerned about another school disruption if water service did not return. “If the water doesn't come on today, school will be cancelled again tomorrow,” said Ms Roberts.

The impact is also being felt by businesses that depend on the island’s tourism industry.

Ms Roberts, who works at a hotel, said guests are asking staff when the water will return and some visitors have indicated they cannot remain if the problem persists.

“I work at a hotel. When I'm serving my guests, they're asking, ‘What's the problem with the water? When is the water coming back on? If it's not on by this time, we have to leave’. That's not good,” she said.

She warned that the problem could become more damaging as tourism activity picks up. “Tourists are coming, and tourists have been leaving because they have their homes. They have Airbnbs. They can't stay because there's no water,” Ms Roberts said. “It's a bunch of  businesses that would have made money from those same people. We're not making that money.”

The anonymous resident said their own business, which they declined to identify, also depends on water. “My business operates on water. I can't do anything. Nothing. We are grounded,” the resident said.

Residents also criticised the communication surrounding the disruptions, saying notices often come only after residents have already begun discussing the lack of water among themselves.

The anonymous resident said the uncertainty has taken an emotional toll. “You don't know if you can use the bathroom. You don't know if you can wash. You don't know nothing. It's an emotional thing right now. It plays on your mind,” the resident said.

“The only thing you're thinking about when you're on the road is ‘I wonder if I don't have water when I go home?’”

The residents also questioned whether Harbour Island needs greater water storage capacity or more dedicated infrastructure to address its recurring supply problems

Ms Roberts said she understands there are two large holding tanks on the island, but questioned why residents continue to experience unreliable supply. The anonymous resident said Harbour Island needs a more sufficient water storage system.

“We need our own water tower here. The water reservoir and our water, we don't have sufficient,” the resident said.

The Water and Sewerage Corporation said the latest disruption was caused by unforeseen failures at its reverse osmosis plant beginning on Thursday, September 3, which disrupted water distribution to North Eleuthera, including Harbour Island and Spanish Wells.

It said a major power failure at about 3pm on Saturday resulted in a malfunction of the reverse osmosis plant’s main control systems. Operations teams worked to restore the plant’s operating parameters and software systems.

In its latest notice yesterday, Water and Sewerage Corporation said water supply had been restored to all areas of North Eleuthera after repairs and assessments were completed, with water restored to peripheral areas before full distribution was achieved.

The Corporation said area checks were being conducted to ensure the system had returned to normal operations. However, one of the Harbour Island residents interviewed for this story said Sunday evening that water had still not returned to their area. The Water and Sewerage Corporation subsequently said checks were being made in all areas.