by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN)—The first well drilled under the Government’s Groundwater Drilling Programme in Saddlers, St. Kitts, has successfully found water.
The breakthrough yields highly encouraging results, with initial testing producing 175 gallons of water per minute.
The initiative is an EC$28 million project implemented by the St. Kitts Water Services Department in collaboration with Trinidad and Tobago-based Water and Oil Well Services.
Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Dr Terrance Drew, on the announcement of the water discovery said, “We have successfully found water at the first site under our Groundwater Drilling Programme in Saddlers, and the results are extremely encouraging. The new well could ultimately produce close to half a million gallons of water per day, significantly strengthening the supply to Saddlers Village, Harris’ Village, Lavington, Belle Vue and surrounding communities. For families who have lived for years with interruptions in their water supply, this is what progress looks like. We are not stopping here. The drilling team has already moved to Newton Ground, and we will continue exploring sites across St. Kitts. From the desalination plant to new wells and improvements to our distribution system, we are steadily building a stronger and more resilient water network. Our goal is clear: 24/7 water for our people, wherever they live in St. Kitts.”
The well was drilled to approximately 640 feet, hitting the water table at around 500 feet with the expected goal to scale up to 300–350 gallons per minute, delivering close to half a million gallons of water per day once permanent pumps are installed.
The new well substantially outproduces the existing local source, which only generates 50 gallons per minute and will solve longstanding water shortages and deliver reliable, 24/7 supply to Saddlers Village, Harris’ Village, Lavington, Belle Vue, and adjacent communities.
This site is the first of 17 prospective drilling locations across St. Kitts identified using advanced airborne drone surveys to isolate key underground aquifers.
Safe-yield testing is currently finalising sustainability parameters.
Infrastructure construction for a supporting pump house and public network connection is underway, and the drilling equipment has already moved to initiate the next well at Newton Ground.
