Water Standards

Water Authority. In most West Indian countries, the quality of the water supplied to the public is monitored and regulated by a “Water Authority”. Such an Authority has charge of the distribution of the public water supply. It has powers given to it by a law. It can prosecute people who harm the public water supply. It can sue to collect the rates set for the supply of water. Anguilla has no Water Authority. The reason is historical, and not a mystery. Our Authority in the past was the Water Board of St Kitts. When we separated from St Kitts, we kept the water law. But, we never set up our own Water Board.

Anguilla never set up any kind of water authority or water board. We never gave any agency in Anguilla the authority to regulate the quality of the water sold to members of the public. We have a Water Department, but it has no statutory recognition. The reason is again historical. Most homes in Anguilla supplied their own water. After Anguilla began to develop in the 1970s, entrepreneurs began to supply water to homes whose cisterns had run dry. In the beginning, the suppliers begged, borrowed or stole it from the cisterns of homes that were unoccupied. No one complained; everyone was happy. Why regulate something that was working perfectly?

Except, the day came when there were not enough cisterns to supply the demand. Various companies began to import their own water making equipment. Some of them manufactured water and sold it to the public. Others, such as the hotels, manufactured water for their own use, and did not sell to the public. None of these water manufacturers and bottlers is regulated by any government agency. At present, we have no control over the quality of water we drink or bathe in. Anguilla is the Wild West when it comes to water. Why does this matter?

The Crocus Bay Water Treatment Facility produces drinkable water by a process of reverse osmosis from sea water. This sea water is pumped up to the plant from nearly half a mile out to sea. This is “pure” sea water. After treatment, this is the water that is distributed in pipes throughout Anguilla. As an exercise in self-discipline, the Facility ensures that its water contains two parts per million of chlorine when it reaches the end user. Compare that to the private manufacturers and sellers of water. These include Anguilla Water Suppliers Ltd of Water Swamp. They manufacture their water drawn from a well in the Farrington. This is the water that is sold and distributed by Island Transport Ltd and National Trucking. There is Charlie’s Quick Water Delivery Service of Long Road. They manufacture their water drawn from a well in Mount Fortune in East End. There is Vanterpool Water Delivery Services. They manufacture water drawn from a well at Welches. This water is all drawn from Anguilla’s aquifer, or water table. Anguilla’s water table is where all the used batteries, the toxic power station and gas station used oils, the septic tanks, and the cemeteries, drain into. None of this well-water is checked, except occasionally when there is a complaint. Even if a problem is discovered with this water, there is no one who is authorized by law to enforce standards. Not that there is any regulation governing water standards that can be enforced in Anguilla.

And, to think that this is the water that I purchase to put in my cistern to drink, and to cook with, and to wash!

The dysentery outbreak we had on the island last year might be just like a simple cold in comparison to what lurks around the corner!

Are you, look a wuk!