Water-management projects in Jamaica

In its 17-year partnership with the National Water Commission, VINCI Construction Grands Projets has been active on projects designed to provide people in Jamaica with improved access to water resources over much of the island, including the northwest parishes, in Negril, Lucea, and Montego Bay for drinking-water production and distribution systems, in Kingston for Constant Spring, Seaview Mona & Hope and in Falmouth and Ocho Rios for treatment-plant upgrades, at Port Antonio for a multi-use urban network (drinking water, wastewater, and drainage), and for wastewater treatment plants at Boscobel and Elletson Flats. We provide services at all stages of the water-management cycle, including modular solutions that meet specific client and local needs. VINCI Construction Grands Projets has had a hand in no less than 80% of Jamaica’s water production, including raw river water and groundwater table intake, various treatment processes, storage, supply, and distribution to consumers, along with water-network management, invoicing systems for consumer use, and water purification prior to its return to the environment.

BACKGROUND

It all started in 1999 with the construction of the first drinking-water treatment plant at Logwood. A short time later, we were called on to increase the pumping and treatment capacity of the Great River station. That same year, we installed a pipeline linking Great River and Lucea. We were then asked to improve the volume of invoiced water use in the parishes of Trelawny, Saint James, Hanover, and Westmoreland. As a result, we were hired to upgrade the drinking-water treatment plant at Marth Brae. In 2007, we upgraded storage facilities in Spanish Town. From 2010 to 2015, we worked throughout the island to upgrade treatment stations, expand and improve the network, and build new plants. In 2011, we rehabilitated the treatment stations at Mona and Hope. Finally, since 2015, our teams have been working on a design-build mandate for 2 filtration plants at Boscobel and Elletson Flats.

TECHNICAL OVERVIEW

The Logwood project included installation and construction of a pumping station, a reinforced concrete treatment plant (fully equipped and automated), and a wastewater-pumping station connected to the existing distribution network.
The Great River project consisted in building a raw-water pumping station and an engineering structure in which new automatic screening equipment was installed. We also supplied and installed 4 raw-water pumps and built a new drinking-water treatment plant. Our second contract at Great River called for the design, supply, and installation of pipes as well as the construction of 70 manholes for valves, suction cups, drains, and fire hydrants.
In 2005 and 2006, we rehabilitated the Martha Brae drinking-water treatment plant and provided and installed a supply line. We also installed 2 storage tanks. Following this project, the new pipe was extended through the addition of a main supply line and secondary supply lines as well as the installation of another storage tank.
As for the Kingston Metropolitan Area project, work included upgrades to existing facilities, 14 wells, a source, and a pumping station, construction of a new treatment plant, and replacement of existing distribution networks.
From 2010 to 2015, the extensive, island-wide water-management facility enhancement program included upgrades to 3 drinking-water treatment plants, construction of new supply lines, improvements to the Stony Hill network (reducing losses from 70% to 45%), installation of meters in homes and businesses across the island, rehabilitation and expansion of rural production and distribution systems. This was the largest water-management project ever undertaken in Jamaica.
Finally, our last project at Port Antonio consisted in installing 3 networks (drinking water, wastewater, drainage).

In addition to the work that was carried out, we provided training to NWC personnel, including multiple sessions on water-network management, network segmentation by sector, metering campaigns, leak detection, geographical information systems, and water-network modelling.

IMPACT

Since 2003, Jamaica has been active in improving its water-supply and wastewater-management capacity. As part of this ambitious program, the country’s National Water Commission has called on VINCI Construction Grands Projets to carry out a great many water-management improvement projects.
Replacing, renovating, and building water-management facilities is a real challenge in Jamaica given the island’s uneven levels of precipitation due to its tropical climate.
On many occasions, our projects were awarded “project of the year” prizes in Jamaica across all engineering categories: Great River Water Supply, 2004; Jamaica Water Supply Improvement Project (JWSIP) Category B, 2012; and Port Antonio Stage 1, 2015.

Project participants

Client
National Water Commission

Project management
FIWI Corporation limited, Nippon koei, Egis International, N.o Whyte & Associates ltd, Fluid Systems Engineering Ltd

Key figures

Implementation dates
March 2003 to November 2017

Number of years in our business relationship with our client
17

 Number of projects
12

Wastewater Treatment System

Monte Cristi, Neiba, Azua, San Jose de Ocoa et San Cristobal

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