ST LUCIA WATER SUPPLY INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT

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The Saint Lucia Water Supply Infrastructure Improvement Project will support a short term investment program to carry out critical works, required to achieve the following objectives: a) alleviate the water shortage in the north of the country. The infrastructure works proposed will allow the utility to supply the entire north of the island with a more efficient, continuous and reliable service; b) implement urgent investments that will result in additional revenues, reduce the likelihood of commercial users (important sources of cross-subsidy for poor consumers) abandoning the system, and improve the potential of a successful partnership between the government and the private sector. The Infrastructure Improvement Works component includes the upgrade the Roseau dam pumping station; improvements to the raw water transmission between Vanard and Sarot; upgrade of the Theobalds water treatment plant; and, upgrade o f the Morne Bocage distribution pipeline. Due to the urgent nature of the works, and the close inter-relationship among the project components, it is considered that a turnkey contract will be the most efficient way to implement this type of project, and achieve success. The second component - Technical Assistance and Project Management - includes the provision of technical assistance required to support Project implementation, carry out Project management activities, and strengthen the capacity of the Project Implementation Unit (PlU) staff in Project management, and priority technical areas, which may include the provision of training. The areas of technical assistance include: 1) oversight and monitoring of the quality of works; 2) studies on the water resources of the Roseau River, including analyses of a) the hydrological capacity of the Roseau dam and reservoir system, and possibly of other surface water sources, b) the potential for increasing the capacity of the Roseau dam through engineering improvements, and, c) safety and environmental considerations related to such activities; and, implementation of a groundwater resources study to determine the quantity, quality and potential use of groundwater in St. Lucia.