Russell Island Water Supply Project Commissioned as Water Works Continue Across Eleuthera

On Friday morning, February 10th, 2023, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis, and Minister of Works and Utilities the Hon. Alfred Sears traveled to Eleuthera for a ceremony to commission the Russell Island Water Supply project. Also present was Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs the Hon. Clay Sweeting; Ministry of Works Parliamentary Secretary Bacchus Rolle, Permanent Secretary Luther Smith, Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) Chairman Sylvanus Petty, board members and executives.

Public water supply on the island, until February 2023, was limited to a small area, and the ever expanding residential population had no access to water other than by private water cisterns. The Water and Sewerage Corporation’s project on Russell Island included the installation of over 7,000 feet of 4-inch and 3,000 feet of 2-inch PVC water mains to serve over 100 homes, at a cost of approximately $600,000, utilizing the Corporation’s personnel and equipment in conjunction with various local subcontractors. With the rapid expansion of homes on the island, said WSC executives, they appreciated the importance of providing high quality piped potable water to sustain that level of development.

Spanish Wells resident and a property owner on Russell Island, Lynn Curry expressed, “Water is a big thing here. You had to drag water here, or have a tank and a pump. This is a big thing on the island today - to have water on Russell Island. I’m so proud. It’s a major update - a good thing.”

WSC Executive Chairman and Member of Parliament for North Eleuthera, Mr. Sylvanus Petty, who worked closely with Minister Sears and the WSC team on the project, expressed, “This is a very momentous occasion for myself, the Corporation and the people of Spanish Wells. It has been a long time coming. When we first came to power, I was given the post as Chairman with P26