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Wilfred Abrahams’ Press Conference: Disposal Wells NOT Injection Wells, National Crisis in the Making

[Barbados Underground] The information shared in yesterday’s press conference by Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams that the South Coast Sewage Plant AND the Bridgetown Sewage Plant are in a state of sorry repair- although improved functionality pre 24 May 2018 have been reached- should continue to be of concern to ALL Barbadians.…

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[Barbados Underground] The information shared in yesterday’s press conference by Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams that the South Coast Sewage Plant AND the Bridgetown Sewage Plant are in a state of sorry repair- although improved functionality pre 24 May 2018 have been reached- should continue to be of concern to ALL Barbadians.

The revelation that there was no transparency around the procurement process to sink the ‘injection wells’ at Graeme Hall, confusion about the depth of the wells tax dollars paid a contractor to sink…and so on.

Listen to the unbelievable revelations by minister Abrahams.

125 responses to “Wilfred Abrahams’ Press Conference: Disposal Wells NOT Injection Wells, National Crisis in the Making”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    It is about dollars. Do we have the resources to move to tertiary treatment? Also we have the issue of misuse of the plant and lack of enforcement to resolve. Like Sargeant stated, is it a crisis or not!

  2. Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right Avatar
    Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right

    For those bloggers who are astute enough to focus on the HR issues euphemism for Halliday de ole man would suggest that Wilfred Abrahams is guided by these hints

    How long has he, and one Wwyambo (de ole man system giving problems spelling he name) how long have they been there?

    During their tenure what have been the problems that they purported solved?

    What has been the cost of these solutions?

    Who were the parties paid under these so called solutions?

    Are there any patterns in these payments?

    And what have been the benefits of these solutions?

    Certainly not the overgrowth that the Bridgetown plant has been inundated by?

    And when the evidence is found of their purported indiscretions, fire dem donkeys and replace them with competent persons who are hired under a new deliverable

    We the bajan populace CANNOT AFFORD THIS SENSELESS spending that is enumerated in this yearly type of document https://www.barbadosparliament.com/uploads/document/79d5f1ca7dd8517e18113284d0527e5f.pdf

  3. Ping Pong Avatar
    Ping Pong

    Sir Fuzzy
    The Dutch are also top notch water and sanitation engineers.

  4. sirfuzzy Avatar
    sirfuzzy

    Sir Fuzzy
    The Dutch are also top notch water and sanitation engineers.

    The Dutch are part of the EU; so Mr Foreign Affairs minister sharpen up on the foreign language skills may i suggest Babble(the software), the other type is rather useless at the diplomatic level.

  5. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    My only concern is the contamination of the swamp and now the ocean
    All done because of poor decision making starting at the time of inceptipn to build the plant
    The plant has outlived its usefulness. and is longer functional
    The design which includes capacity and volime has reached its desired limit
    Close the dud down
    Waste not want not. Time to stop throwing good money after bad

  6. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    It is crystal clear that the issue won´t be solved until a second sewage plant or a bigger single one is built for the Southern part of the plantation called Barbados and the pipes are cleaned.

    Do the British overseas territories also face such malaise? Just asking.

    Barrow and his party got what they wanted, namely a failed state. How arrogant and foolish to believe that a small island in the ocean can make it without external help. It will take the BLP at least 10 years to mop the place. Good luck when you face opposing powers like the DPP and the Commissioner of Police.

  7. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Now shit from the plant flows directly into the swamp and into the ocean
    But nobody cares why because the sh.it is not in the street so no effect on them
    But wait a minute just one day coming soon when all these bodies of water are dried up or polluted man would have to fight all by themselves the ravages of pestilence the multiude of unknown virus . the growing number of natural disaster and we would have no one to blame but self

  8. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    ” Not only this, but Abrahams has also revealed that the six wells recently built at the South Coast Sewage Treatment Plant for a cost of $3.7 million were not even really injection wells at all, but were simply “disposal wells”.

    Worse yet, the minister explained that the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) does not know how deep these disposal wells actually are, nor their capacity, as there had been no written contracts found for their construction under the previous administration.”

    http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/184810/usd37m-failure

  9. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    There is another smoking gun in this case – and what are the DPP and the Commissioner of Police doing?
    Nothing. As usual.

    What a banana republic.

    Surely, the so-called lawyers will no show up and tell me there need to be a “complaint”. So, since no black slave formally “complained” about slavery in the 17th and 18th century in Barbados, slavery was no crime against humanity? Just asking.

  10. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Can any of the BU intelligensia explain the difference between an Injection well and a Disposal well ?

  11. Talking Loud Saying Nothing Avatar
    Talking Loud Saying Nothing

  12. sirfuzzy Avatar
    sirfuzzy

    Can any of the BU intelligensia explain the difference between an Injection well and a Disposal well ?

    I will try. A disposal well is one where you dump $3.7M hard earned dollars into a project for its construction.

    An injection well is one where you inject 3.7M hard earn dollars into it for its construction.

    Graduate Summer school class of 1980 .

  13. John Avatar
    John

    David
    August 11, 2018 3:23 PM

    @John
    Did you hear the plan to build an outfall line starting in two weeks to finish in about two months? Another bandaid?

    +++++++++++++++++++

    If that is the case then it is an admission that the line to Needhams Point from the sewage plant OR the line from Needhams Point out to sea is not worth fixing.

    We should really have built a tertiary treatment plant and planned to reuse the water generated.

    Still a possibility!!!.

  14. Wily Coyote Avatar
    Wily Coyote

    LATEST BWA announcement that the south coast sewage plant injection wells are a FAILED PROJECT that cost taxpayers $3.7M. Did Wily not tell you(David) this recently, new proposal to build outflow pipe into the sea off Worthing beach is but another kneejerk reaction not supported by proper design and EIA assessment. Just another same old MICKEY MOUSE government reaction, DLP, BLP. Bajan politicians, senior civil servants are a thick headed lot with not much if any grey matter, bent on destruction of the country, one incompetence at a time.

    It continues to boggy Wily’s mind that a country with so much free education does not have any, or at least a few, competent politicians, competent civil servants, competent engineers that can design, install and maintain a sewage system that the Romans mastered hundreds of years ago. No wonder the country is a FAILED SOVEREIGN state.

  15. Wily Coyote Avatar
    Wily Coyote

    Wily remembers the drilling rigs that were located at the South Coast Sewage Plant drilling the wells and these rigs looked like those that Barbados National Oil Company(BNOC) had contracted to drill more oil wells and implement the old HUFF & PUFF technology to increase oil production. Wily is open to be corrected.

  16. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2015/03/18/dep-reverses-decision-over-waste-water-disposal-well/

  17. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    https://upstrm.wordpress.com/tag/injection-wells/

  18. Jean Avatar
    Jean

    You know what; i don’t care that you guys don’t know. I want it fixed. I am about to pay(with out my kind permission) extra in my august water bill for you fools or experts to know what the hell is the problem in Graeme Hall. If you know know i want my so in so money back. That is what i do know.

    Sirfuzzy thank you. that is the bottom line. Enuff talk. Put up or shut. Money talks and bullshit walks. Look up the definition.

  19. Jean Avatar
    Jean

    You know what; i don’t care that you guys don’t know. I want it fixed. I am about to pay(with out my kind permission) extra in my august water bill for you fools or experts to know what the hell is the problem in Graeme Hall. If you know know i want my so in so money back. That is what i do know.

    Sirfuzzy thank you. that is the bottom line. Enuff talk. Put up or shut. Money talks and bullshit walks. Look up the definition.

  20. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    Am I missing something here ? A few weeks ago the country was told that the sewage problem was virtually fixed .
    The same injection wells were used to stop the sewage from spilling in the streets .
    I actually thought there was a plan B
    Am I now to understand we moving it from the streets into the swamp and from there into the sea ?
    Where is the plan ? Why were we told that the problem was about to be solved?
    Oh wells……….no pun intended.

  21. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Deep well injection is a liquid waste disposal technology.

    http://web.deu.edu.tr/atiksu/ana58/deepwell.html

  22. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    The failed project reminds me of the machines for automated passport control at the airport. Bought for millions and not used at all.

    Everything the blue plantocrats did from 2008 to 2018 failed. Everything. Everything but corruption and nepotism. What Barbados needs is some kind of THANOS. A person with an iron heart and a strong will who purges the civil service, firing everybody appointed or promoted from 2008 to 2018 with DLP membership.

  23. David Avatar
    David

    @William

    Do not sensationalize the issue, the injection wells were always meant to be temporary to allow the BWA to clear the lines to search fix the blockage. To repeat, politicians will say what they feel like on the political platform, the pragmatism of government is another matter. There is no quick fix to this problem., those of us with commonsense are aware. The pipes along the South coast sit on a moving bed and the blogmaster suspects there are multiple breaches. Let us pray they will not have to close that stretch of the highway.

  24. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    It’s a bloody circle.

    It happens
    We talk about it
    Promises are made
    It outlasts our attention span and we forget about it
    It happens again

  25. John2 Avatar
    John2

    David
    They were supposed to be temporary until the problem was fixed
    Not temporary as in the were expected to fail

  26. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    @David August 11, 2018 8:12 PM

    “Let us pray they will not have to close that stretch of the highway.”

    Oh yes. This might be rocket science for “educated” Barbadians. You close down one side of the road and dig out the whole mess and install new pipes. I wonder why nothing was done in Barbados like this. You see it on a daily base in NYC, London, Paris and Berlin.

    They even had a working sewage system in Pompeii 2000 years ago!!!

  27. Juan Perez Avatar
    Juan Perez

    Lets get something straight. There is no difference between a borehole which is to serve as an injection well and one which is to serve as a disposal well. Both are disposal wells, the difference is that one is under pressure (via a pump system) and the other is purely gravity fed.
    The capacity of the well to take the sewage is determined by many things but mainly by the transmissivity of the rock formation which is to received that which is being disposed of. A pressurised injection well will take more sewage than a gravity fed well where the transmissivity of the rock formation is the same.

    The pertinent question is why has the BWA stopped or failed to inject the sewage under pressure into the boreholes? Also the depth of any borehole is never known until the drilling is completed. If the BWA does not know the depths of each of the wells then sure they can get the drill logs from the drilling contractor. The drilling contractor for the BWA on the South Coast has been working for the BWA for dozens of years.

    The more important question is why was the BWA engineers/technicians not on site during the drilling program to monitor the borehole drilling operation? This is standard practice and is essential given that the drilling company is paid for the total depths of the boreholes plus other services provided such as casing and pump, water and dye testing. Drilling a borehole or several boreholes to undetermined deaths is not like walking into Massy and buying eggs and milk folkes.

  28. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    Folks, read this article:

    https://constructioncaribbean.com/2018/01/18/the-barbados-sewage-crisis-explained/

    There is no proper sewage treatment at all in Bim. However, that is how it works in developing countries.

  29. John Carter Avatar
    John Carter

    This new minister is ‘an expert; in these matters. He says the injection wells were a Bds $3.7 million waste of money. But he is going to implement another temporary measure costing Bds $2.7 million which cannot permanently solve the problem. Any temporary measure can be classified as a waste of money. As far as I have read, the permanent solution is a completely new plant.So be careful what you say. I still wonder if the BWA has are any engineers who were part of it for the last 15 to 20 years.
    The government will be collection over Bds $43 200 000 per year from (80 000 I am told) househols with the new $45 water tax. In 5 years it would have collected Bds$216 000 000 from households ALONE not taking into account what will be collected from businesses. Can this help finance a new plant or will we still have to borrow money? In 1990 when the South Coast project was conceived the estimated cost was US$73.1 million. What the replacement cost is 28 years later one has to wonder.
    But eventually that too will be revealed by those who are calling for a new plant.

  30. lawson Avatar
    lawson

    I feel comfortable in the situation knowing that they have gone to whoever looks after the washrooms at oistins fish market for advise.lol

  31. Kirk Rueladel Avatar
    Kirk Rueladel

    Whenever I enter bathrooms at Oistins, especially with friends and family from overseas, I always feel so proud to Barbadian.

  32. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Like a dog trying to catch its tail
    Give me a break
    The plant has melted down govt officials in the blp had grand plans of illusions that using a bucket and hose and some disinfectant could have FIX the plant
    Only a jack.a ss would not have understand the capacity of the plant could no longer accomodate the volume of sewage going into the system daily Plus building the plant on swamp land was a foregone conclusion for ultimate failure
    If the wells does not work .it is a major problem which says the plant does not function
    Close the dam thing down
    Two wrongs doesnt make a right

  33. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    @ Tron

    You said and I quote “…A person with an iron heart and a strong will who purges the civil service, firing everybody appointed or promoted from 2008 to 2018 with DLP membership…”

    To be fair to everyone appointed or promoted, the thing is that under both administrations there are hits and misses.

    Incredibly there are many more misses with the DLP than the BLP but de ole man would once again, LKKE A BROKEN RECORD, suggest this.

    “A man builds 5 blocks a day. He works for 5 days a week. How many blocks will he build after two weeks?”

    Straight out of Caribbean Arithmetic Book 1 isn’t it?

    Among the IT tools that Madamoiselle Prime Minister Mottley must implement is a tool which standardizes the output of every employee based on their job descriptions

    If you are the maid at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and you are to clean 10 bathrooms and mop 8 floors a week, then barring dem teif your mops and carry home your disciclin supplies if you fail to do 18 items at the end of a week it is noted.

    You are given the commensurate warning.

    And Senator Caswell, Akani, and Toni Moore get notifications at their workstation of your performance RIGHT BEFORE I TAKE DISCIPLINARY ACTION AND FIRE YOUR DONKEY.

    Regardless of the party you belong to

    This is not rocket science.

    Move away from the partisan politics to a merit based technology supported Public Service matrix

  34. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    @the Honourable Blogmaster your assistance please with a recent item for Tron thank you

  35. TheoGazerts Avatar
    TheoGazerts

    Time to go back to first principles

    After this prolong discussion, I am somewhat loss as to
    1) What is the problem
    2) Can we fix it
    3) What was done to fix it
    4) Has the fix worked in anyway whatsoever
    5)How far are we from getting a final solution
    6) Do those charged with solving the problem know how to fix it.
    7) Can we put aside our ego, admit we don’t know the fix and get some outside help.

    I made the suggestion to recruit some foreign engineers, well in the past. It is time to abandon the trial and error approach, guesswork and meaningless promises; It’s obvious that we are no closer to a solution. Let’s go back to the beginning and figure out how to solve this problem.

    BAPE fired its meaning less wad some time ago.

  36. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Govt needs to get an analysis of the soil on which the bridgetown plant is built and use it as guide on what part of the Ch.Ch area would be best to build a newer and more technological efficient plant
    The money already poured into that plant could have paid outstanding bills
    The Caribbean govts seem to have a problem admitting to failure but like gerbils stay committed to spinning the wheel over and over again

  37. John Avatar
    John

    LATEST BWA announcement that the south coast sewage plant injection wells are a FAILED PROJECT that cost taxpayers $3.7M.

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Isn’t the sewage off the roads?

    The wells achieved their primary goal.

    However, the same result could have been obtained by putting the sewage into the swamp as has been done in the past.

    That was happening for a while very recently and the sluice gate let it out into the sea ….. that was the reason for the three advisories from Canada, GB and the US.

    What for me is important to know is if there is a solution to getting the effluent where it is supposed to go, ie off Needham’s point.

    If it isn’t then we have to find an alternative way of getting rid of or using the effluent.

    Dumping it into the swamp either directly or via an underground route is not a long term solution.

  38. Are-we-there-yet Avatar
    Are-we-there-yet

    David;

    I don’t know which other active blog I should use to place the below comment, so please forgive me.

    But, did you see the headline in the Sunday Sun today?

    It is about Ryan Brathwaite not yet receiving the land which a large landowner gave him, with much pomp and ceremony, when he became the 110 m World Champion nine years ago. Seems like the gift could have been a questionable strategy to force the PM, Freundal Stuart, to allow a Change of Use application for the Agricultural land of which the 12,000 square foot gift would have been a small portion. It appears to have been a cynical stratagem to trick Stuart into doing something that would provide significant benefits to the landowner.

    Stuart would have none of it! Bravo!

    Perhaps the new Government could convince the Landowner and Developer to exchange that encumbered land with an equivalent piece of one of his Developments for Ryan Brathwaite.

  39. John Avatar
    John

    The pertinent question is why has the BWA stopped or failed to inject the sewage under pressure into the boreholes?

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    There is a video on the internet of the sewage/effluent spouting up from the wells when it was under pressure.

    My geologist friend put it like this in February when the “injection wells” were first begun.

    “Injecting sewage into the coral stone, regardless of depth, is NUTS.

    The coral stone is as porous as Swiss cheese, and whatever is in there will distribute itself, either by diffusion or by advection, or both. And eventually that sewage would come out into the sea also, if diluted.

    Injecting sewage into the underlying pockets of the Scotland Formation that once contained oil and have been pumped empty – that would make sense, at least in principle. Those pockets are ‘sealed’, inasmuch as there are ‘seals’ in sedimentary rocks.”

  40. David Avatar
    David

    @John

    In the interview above or some other it was stated that the injection wells allow the BWA to apply a level of treatment to the effluent before piping to the swamp/sea.

  41. Kirk Rueladel Avatar
    Kirk Rueladel

    @ John

    The injection well can work, providing:
    1. The effluent is screened properly prior to injection.
    2. The wells are pressurized and monitored appropriately and continuously.
    3. The wells are cleaned periodically to remove the organic soup which will naturally build up from contact with seawater and due to temperature at the base of the well.
    4. It is used only as a short term measure.

  42. David Avatar
    David

    @AWTY

    Read the article and wondered the same, he donates land not ready for build. Ti say it was an unethical act is a generous way to describe it.

  43. Are-we-there-yet Avatar
    Are-we-there-yet

    I also wonder how many previous PM’s fell for such tricks?

  44. sirfuzzy Avatar
    sirfuzzy

    The question in my mind is has the well failed? What defn of failure is the minister using? Temporary is a well understood word. The duration of temporary may be questioned here but what was the real world outlook for the life span of these wells?

    Maybe the BWA is tardy in doing the other works that it needs to do in the duration of time that the well provided? If they are tardy in completing other stuff? go ahead blame the well it doesn’t have a PR operation to speak on its behalf?

  45. TheoGazerts Avatar
    TheoGazerts

    I suspect the average Bajan is as confused as I am. In truth, I have forgotten or am confused about what it is we are fixing

    fixed, not fixed, temporary fix, fixed, not fixed,

    So many words phrases/words for failure: potholes, injection holes, bore holes, injection wells, swamp, outflow pipes

    All I see are two empty suits and two ties….,

    Time to stop BSing and let others have the job.

  46. TheoGazerts Avatar
    TheoGazerts

    Just like a kid on a long trip with “Are we there yet”?
    There is one question Bajans should be asking… “Is it fixed yet?”

  47. TheoGazerts Avatar
    TheoGazerts

    National crisis in the making? You gotta be kidding me….

  48. Are-we-there-yet Avatar
    Are-we-there-yet

    TheOGazerts
    What are you talking about? You sound nearly as confused as me.

  49. TheoGazerts Avatar
    TheoGazerts

    Ha Ha..
    The “Are we there yet” does not refer to you in anyway.
    It is what one hears, every five minutes, when a child is taken on a long car trip….

  50. TheoGazerts Avatar
    TheoGazerts

    But you are right….. I’m confused

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