Investor's Guide: Infrastructure - Water

St. Kitts receives an annual average precipitation of 1,375 mm or 54 inches which is the main source of potable water. Freshwater is available in two forms: springs and groundwater.  Currently, about 70% of the water supply for St. Kitts is from groundwater and 30% from springs.  There are 7 springs that provide an average combined flow of approximately 9,000 m3 per day (2 million imperial gallons per day).  About 4,500m3 per day (1 million gallons per day) of the spring water is treated by sedimentation, rapid sand filtration and chlorination at the La Guerite Treatment Plant for supply into Basseterre.

The rest of our freshwater supply is provided by a network of 30 wells with a combined capacity of approximately 23,000 m3 per day (5 million imperial gallons per day).  The total capacity of storage reservoirs is about 32,000 m3 (7 million gallons).  It is estimated that St. Kitts has currently exploited about half of the available groundwater resources on the island.  All residents of St. Kitts have access to water 24 hours per day.  Over 90 percent have water piped directly to their homes; others have access to nearby standpipes. 

Most of the water supply serves the domestic sector (over 50%) while tourism, agriculture and other commercial sectors each utilizing between 10 and 15% of the water supply. Growth in tourism and agriculture could see the demand for water double in the next 10 to 15 years.  Most of this demand would be met by development of our groundwater reserves, but it is expected that some desalination may be used. In terms of water quality, St. Kitts has taken some proactive steps to increase the safety of the public water supply by expanding its chlorination program.