Sept / Oct 2016 | Business View Caribbean

32 September 2016 - Business View Caribbean Business View Caribbean - September 2016 33 Mile Beach. The original facility consisted of four, large, waste stabilization ponds. “But since 2005, we have a Sequencing Batch Reactor plant with a capacity of 2.5 million gallons a day, and that’s actually the first phase out of four; it’s designed to ultimately treat 10 million gallons a day,” van Zanten states. “So, hopefully, in the future, we’ll expand our collection system. Our man- date dictates that we’ll have to do that. But it’s going to be a gradual process.” Other items on the Authority’s immediate and ongo- ing agenda include a new water distribution pump sta- tion in George Town equipped with variable frequency drives that adjust the speed of the pump motor to fit the water demand at any given time, thus saving ener- gy and money; the installation of bulk water meters at strategic places, where the net inflow of water can be compared against water sales; and the replacement of older water meters to ensure that all water used by customers can be properly and accurately registered. “The next step would be to go to smart meters,” says van Zanten. AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) uses wireless water meters that send data on water use from each customer to a central monitoring loca- tion. “The system is capable of logging the water us- age and alerting the Water Authority if a customer has a sudden or unusual spike in water usage (either in real time or using historical data, in the event of a cus- tomer dispute), or if there are localized low pressure areas, which are possible indicators of a leak. This could help the Water Authority identify the loca- tion of pipe breaks, allowing for quicker repairs and less lost water,” say van Zanten. “It will give us a lot more data, our customers can see their own usage to see if there’s anything amiss, and we can do the same thing. Plus, our staff won’t have to go out and operate a valve.” Since its inception, the Water Authority of the Cayman Islands has come a long way in fulfilling its mission. “In the last 30 years, we achieved a lot,” says Deputy Director, van Zanten. “We went from a small, govern- ment department with half a dozen people, to an or- ganization of more than 120 employees that is self- sufficient, provides good quality water to the majority of the population, provides wastewater collection and treatment services, and protects the water resources of the island for future generations.” PREFERRED VENDORS Vermeer Southeast – Vermeer Southeast is the autho- rized dealer for Vermeer Equipment with over 25 years of market support in equipment sales, parts, and ser- vice. The company specializes in various market seg- ments including: underground construction, environ- mental, renewable energy, and mining. Its product line includes a variety of machines from pedestrian-style to large-track trenchers, as well as trenchless equipment, starting with pneumatic piercing tools, to its complete line of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) machines. It also offers hand-fed brush chippers, large tub and horizontal grinders, pile driving equipment for the pho- tovoltaic market, and surface mining equipment. www. vermeersoutheast.com Argo American Corporation - Argo American is a pri- vately held company based in southeastern Florida. It began serving customers in the early 1970’s offering an unparalleled level of reliability, flexibility, and cus- tomer service within the Utility Services, Fleet Mainte- nance, Airport Equipment, Ground Support, and Freight Forwarding Industry. It is also a distributor of a broad array of critical equipment such as trucks, cranes, der- ricks, and aerial equipment. - www.argoamerican.com Performance Equipment & Supplies - www.peasinc.com