UPDATE |Restoration of regular water supply to Spanish Town communities under way - NWC

The National Water Commission (NWC) says it has received clearance to resume accepting inflows from the Rio Cobre source into the Spanish Town Water Treatment Facility in St Catherine.

“Customers in Spanish Town and its surrounding areas in St Catherine will have their regular water supply restored shortly,” the NWC said in an update on Saturday afternoon.

It said clearance came from the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

This follows a temporary suspension of inflows on Saturday, due to concerns over water quality, causing major supply disruptions for customers in several Spanish Town communities.

Earlier, the commission said its Quality Assurance Department had been working alongside the regulatory agencies to investigate "increased pH levels at the Rio Cobre river."

In its latest update, the NWC stated that the pH level "is now at an acceptable 8.23 and decreasing". The commission says it is still working with the health ministry and will continue to monitor the raw water source on an hourly basis.

The pH level measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is, on a scale from 0 to 14. Pure water has a pH of 7, considered neutral, while the pH of most drinking water falls within the 6.5–8.5 range, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Water with a pH of 8 or above is classified as alkaline.

"The NWC takes any discrepancies in its water quality extremely seriously, and we are taking proactive measures to rectify this situation as quickly as possible and maintain the quality of our water supply," said Garwaine Johnson, NWC’s regional manager for St Catherine and Clarendon, in an earlier statement.

The situation in St Catherine comes amid growing concerns about water quality in parts of Kingston and St Andrew.

Affected Areas

Spanish Town, Westmore, Hampton Green, Lakemore Gardens, Newton Avenue, Nugent Street, McCoy’s Land, Mayfair Mews, Brunswick Avenue, Job’s Lane, White Water Meadows, Hartlands, McCooks Pen, Leiba Gardens, Sydenham Gardens, Wedge Wood Gardens.

Additional areas include:

Willowdene Housing Scheme, Hopedale Housing Scheme, Old Harbour Main Road, Horizon Park, Sydenham Villa, Cromarty Grove Housing Scheme, Valdez Road, Homestead, Lucky Glades, Cross Road, Phoenix, Innswood Garden, Seville #2 Housing Scheme, Salt Pond Housing Scheme, Dunbeholden Housing Scheme.

The World Health Organization, in a 2007 analysis of pH in drinking water, noted:

"A direct relationship between human health and the pH of drinking water is impossible to ascertain because pH is so closely associated with other aspects of water quality, and acids and alkalis are weak and usually very dilute. However, because pH can affect the degree of corrosion of metals as well as disinfection efficiency, any effect on health is likely to be indirect and due to increased ingestion of metals from plumbing and pipes or inadequate disinfection.

Although pH usually has no direct impact on water consumers, it is one of the most important operational water quality parameters. Careful attention to pH control is necessary at all stages of water treatment to ensure satisfactory water clarification and disinfection. For effective disinfection with chlorine, the pH should preferably be less than 8.0. The pH of the water entering the distribution system must be controlled to minimize the corrosion of water mains and pipes in household water systems. Failure to do so can result in the contamination of drinking-water and in adverse effects on its taste, odour and appearance."

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