Government workers have almost completed work on the new Seawater Reverse Osmosis Plant in Pembroke, and an increased supply of fresh water will soon be available to the public on a more consistent basis.

Donald Daniels, supervisory foreman for treatment in the water section in the Ministry of Works and Engineering, said the new plant can hold up to 50,000 gallons of water, and can recycle 115,000 gallons of water per day.

"This is the Government's first Saltwater Reverse Osmosis unit. The advantage of a seawater plant is that we can make water all day and all night because there is plenty of seawater around. The water is taken directly from the ocean. With this new plant we will be able to provide more drinking water on a daily basis. Essentially we will be able to increase the supply of drinking water to the public."

Mr. Daniels said water truck owners would use the new facility.

"My understanding is that this facility will be used primarily by water truckers. A water truck can carry a thousand gallons of water in its tank. So theoretically they can take up to 102 loads a day from the facility. This would help the water supply issue because right now what we actually do is shut down the water truckers' outlet on Frog Lane between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily so that our tanks can fill up because the water truckers and the customers use more water than we can actually make.

"So with the new system we hope to alleviate some of the pressures caused by not having enough water to meet the growing needs of the public."

Work on a second and much larger Seawater Osmosis Plant near Tynes Bay in Devonshire will begin in early 2007.

The Tynes Bay plant will be able to churn out 500,000 gallons of drinking water a day by also tapping into unlimited ocean reserves while cutting reliance on the Island's well system.

Government has hired the Grand Cayman Company, Consolidated Water Company (CWC) to design and build the plant. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2007.

The Tynes Bay reverse osmosis plant is expected to cost upwards of $5 million to build.