sept-2016

26-27 / 128

26 September 2016 - Business View Caribbean Business View Caribbean - September 2016 27
The Water Authority of
the Cayman Islands
Supplier of the island’s water
“This is a small island,” says Tom van Zanten, Deputy
Director of the Water Authority of the Cayman Islands,
“and traditionally, most residents collected rainwater
or used fresh groundwater from individual wells. How-
ever, the availability of fresh groundwater on Grand
Cayman was limited in extent and, due to over-usage
and pollution, became even scarcer. By the early
1980s, with the surge in tourism, and commercial and
residential developments, there was an increased de-
mand for a reliable source of clean water.”
To respond to this need, the government of the Cay-
man Islands formed the Water and Sewerage Project
Office in 1981. Its mission was to create a plan for a
single body with the responsibility for all water-related
matters in the country, plus the capability of provid-
ing the necessary public facilities to achieve that aim.
In early 1983, the Water and Sewerage Project Office
presented its plan to the government, and soon there-
after, the Water Authority of the Cayman Islands was
established as a statutory body with the passage of
the Water Authority Law.
The Authority exists in order:
• To ensure that the entire population of the Cayman
Islands have access to a pure, wholesome, and afford-
able supply of potable water; and to regulate other en-
tities who are licensed by the Government to provide
public water supplies.
• To protect and develop groundwater resources for
the benefit of present and future populations of these
islands.
• To provide for the collection, treatment and dispos-
al of sewage within these islands in a manner that is
safe, efficient and affordable.
• To operate in such a manner as to be financially self-
sufficient, while contributing to the economy of these
islands and achieving a reasonable and acceptable
return on capital investments.
The Water Authority’s first major projects were the
commissioning of the Lower Valley and East End well
fields and reservoirs, which provided treated fresh
groundwater to water trucking companies for distribu-
tion to residential and commercial customers. “But
we were going through such rapid development that it
was pretty clear, very early on, that the ground water
resources would not be adequate,” says van Zanten.
“So, we looked at desalination as a method to provide
potable water.”
At first, the Authority used waste heat from the local
electricity company to produce the desalinated sea wa-
AT A GLANCE
WHO: The Water Authority of the Cayman Islands
WHAT: A statutory body providing water and
sewer services for the Cayman Islands
WHERE: Headquarters in George Town, Grand
Cayman
WEBSITE:
Management Team: From left, Customer Service Manager Joanna Welcome-Martinez, Deputy Director Tom van Zanten, Director Ge-
lia Frederick-van Genderen, Chief Human Resources Manager Patricia Bell, Information Systems Manager John Bodden, Financial
Controller Lori Bergman, and Water Resources Engineer Hendrick-Jan van Genderen.