The West End Development Corporation (Wedco) has sought final Planning approval to install a reverse osmosis plant at Dockyard which would produce an extra 40,000 gallons of drinking water per day for the public.

Andrew Dias, Wedco's Facilities and Project Manager told Planning on June 14 that the reason for the application was to assist Bermuda and Dockyard's water shortages.

"Wedco has been working in conjunction with the W&E (Works & Engineering) water section to find a short term solution to solve the continual water shortages that have been experienced in the west end for many years," Mr. Dias said in the application. "W&E has consistently been unable to meet the demand of their current customers during the summer months."

The Wedco Project Manager said in his letter to Planning that the current W&E water plant at Dockyard relied on the fresh water lens to produce potable, or drinkable, water.

The Island's fresh water lens was being extremely challenged during the summer, he said.

"Wedco has been able to source and supply a portable reverse osmosis (RO) plant," he said. "The plant comes pre-built in a 40-foot container and will produce 50,000 US gallons per day."

Wedco wished to install two of these units to supply not only visiting cruise ships and Dockyard tenants but also to Government to assist supplying its customers and "provide some relief to the fresh water lens," he said.

The quango already had a water testing program with the Department of Health to meet the Island's drinking water standards that had been working well for many years, he said.

The "maximum acceptable limit" of deadly chemicals in drinking water included not more that 0.05 milligrams of arsenic, 0.05 milligrams of cyanide, 0.015 milligrams of lead and 0.001 milligrams of mercury per litre, the plan said.

Two-and-a-half million gallons of drinking water would be stored at Wedco's two resurfaced water tanks, he said.

"The only new infrastructure is the bore holes which have already been approved," he said.

Patricia Begeman, chairman of the Environmental Authority granted Wedco permission to install two extraction boreholes with a maximum abstraction rate of 200,000 gallons per day and two discharge boreholes with a maximum disposal rate of 150,000 gallons per day.

However, the Environmental Authority said Wedco's water right expired on February 28, 2011.

Mark Rowe of the Environmental Authority told Wedco on February 28 that its water rights may be withdrawn at any time should it exceed the stated extraction/discharge rates, if there was any depletion of public water resources, or if there was a detrimental environmental impact.

"Wedco expects to operate this portable plant for a period of three to five years until the construction and commission of a purpose built plant is completed."

Mr. Dias added that this third RO project was already being designed.

It was reported last week that Works and Engineering and Housing Minister Sen. David Burch said three new RO plants ? with a total capacity of 115,000 gallons per day ? would be installed in partnership with Wedco.

Mr. Dias said a fence and potted plants outside the RO plant would soften the view of the containers from the road and foam lining would make the unit as quiet as an external air conditioner.

Planning also asked the Historic Buildings Advisory Committee for its observations on the application, which will be near a Listed Building.