Water supply and distribution remain major concerns in Saint Lucia, with frequent planned and unplanned cuts across communities. With predictions that 2026 could register one of the longest dry spells in the past ten to 15 years, utility officials are ramping up efforts to ease what could be an especially trying period for thousands of residents.
“… We know for sure there’s going to be a drier period than we’ve had this year, which is why we’re trying to put things in place,” Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) CEO Zilta George-Leslie told a press conference at the National Workers Union in Castries on Monday. She cited preparations including securing water trucks, clearing catchments and exploring damming in Vanard. “We are preparing for what would appear to be one of the worst dry spells in the last ten to 15 years… our message for 2026 will definitely be water conservation.”
However, mitigating the impacts of a difficult dry season is only one part of a wider set of problems WASCO plans to address next year.
As part of long-term improvements, the company is moving ahead with upgrades to the water treatment plant in Patience, which serves a growing population but has been failing to treat water adequately.
According to Chief Operations Officer Aly Anthony, the CARICOM Development Fund will finance critical infrastructural repairs on the project, turning it into a “state of the art” facility. The project — which includes constructing a new intake, pumping station and treatment plant — is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2026 and is priced at US$2.1 million.
Faulty treatment systems and long stretches of ageing pipelines continue to burden residents across Saint Lucia, but the northern network has worsened over time.
“Just today, the water cut out while I was in the shower,” a Ciceron resident told St. Lucia Times. “That was never an issue before, but over the past two years, these cuts have become more frequent. Planned cuts are one thing, but when it goes randomly, it’s really frustrating.”
At last Friday’s Chef’s Table Luncheon hosted by the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association, Minister for Tourism Ernest Hilaire highlighted water supply among several concerns the sector will carry into 2026.
Speaking on the growing home accommodation and Airbnb market, Hilaire said, “Through research, we have discovered that over the past three years, more than 300 properties are being added to our inventory annually… it is a positive trend… but this is adding to the challenges to our utilities and other infrastructure, particularly in the north….”
He said that if re-elected, the SLP will prioritise major improvements to the water distribution system.
United Workers Party leader Allen Chastanet also flagged mounting water constraints during an earlier interview with St. Lucia Times. “Clearly, more and more people are migrating up north… even during construction, [hotels] are having to truck water… meanwhile, consumers are paying a very heavy price,” he said.
Chastanet said that solutions must go beyond pipeline upgrades. He explained that a combination of measures would be necessary, including the implementation of desalination.
He also proposed placing a desalination plant in the northern part of the island, particularly to remove hotels from the main water grid, adding that the longer-term solution would involve fixing the existing pipes.
Despite challenges with securing funding, WASCO says it will continue to press ahead with an additional three major capital projects:
- the five-kilometre Millet-Vanard pipeline
- upgrades to the Theobalds Treatment Plant
- the pipeline between Bonneterre and Gros Islet town
“Once we are able to get those three projects completed, consumers should expect a much more improved water supply,” Anthony said, noting the high costs and the company’s reliance on government support and external financing.
The five-kilometre Millet-Vanard pipeline, long prone to leaks despite multiple patch repairs, will undergo complete reconstruction funded through the Caribbean Development Fund. A contractor is expected to be finalised by the first quarter of 2026.
“This project will replace and upgrade that pipeline to a much larger size… we will be able to produce more water and supply more water to residents,” Anthony said.
Meanwhile, the Theobalds Treatment Plant in Ciceron, where only four out of ten filters are functioning, will be upgraded with new technology to correct faulty rehabilitation work done in 2006–2007. “With this new technology, we will now be able to treat a lot more water coming from the John Compton Dam via the five-kilometre pipeline,” Anthony said.
The CDF has approved US$4.2 million in concessional financing for the project. The plant supplies communities including Mon Repos, Patience, Praslin, La Pointe, Malgretoute, Millet, Vanard, Babonneau, Dennery, Castries, Gros Islet and Cap Estate.
Anthony added that pipelines for the Bonneterre-Gros Islet project are already in stock, with the project scheduled for completion by March 2026 and to be coordinated with planned roadworks.
“We’re losing so much water in that corridor. When we replace those pipelines, we expect much more water to be available to consumers.”
Anthony said WASCO is committed to keeping interruptions to a minimum. “We also want to give sufficient notice so that [residents] can store water…. It’s an imperfect system, but we try our best… on how quickly we are able to complete and restore supply.”
CEO George-Leslie added that the company has also procured two additional water trucks to support relief efforts during prolonged shortages.
