Government is to roll out a water conservation campaign in schools and the community in the New Year.

Minister of Works and Engineering, Dennis Lister, made the announcement yesterday as he provided an update on the new Tynes Bay Seawater Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant. RO is a form of water treatment used to process seawater into drinking quality water and will help to make up shortfalls in Island homes caused by a lack of rainfall.

Mr. Lister said: "Early in 2008, we expect to roll out a comprehensive water conservation and public education campaign to enhance water conservation practices in Bermuda. Government is also working with the schools to develop a school based water conservation programme in conjunction with the Government's programme."

Reporting on the progress of the new $10 million Tynes Bay plant, the Minister said it would provide up to 1 million gallons of drinking water per day to residents of the central parishes, doubling the amount now available.

Mr. Lister said the new plant will be fitted with the latest energy recovery equipment to optimise and reduce the cost of treatment. Seawater will be pumped from wells across North Shore Road into a treatment process consisting of filtration and reverse osmosis, followed by disinfection and further conditioning to make the water less aggressive to piping and storage tanks.

"Finished water from the plant will be pumped through two eight-inch diameter transmission mains up to the Prospect Reservoirs on Fort Hill Road, where it will be combined with finished water from two existing Government RO plants and distributed to customers in the central area," he said.

Mr. Lister added: "One very exciting aspect of the plant is that it will be provided with electrical power generated at the nearby Tynes Bay Incinerator, resulting in significant electricity cost savings."

Consolidated Water (Bermuda) Limited, part of Cayman-based bottled water producer Consolidated Water Company, has been awarded a one-year contract to design, build and operate the plant. The cost of its operation over the first year, including electricity, supplies and operators, is estimated at $1.5 million.

Mr. Lister said: "It is our plan to ensure that Bermudians are suitably trained to assume responsibility for the plant at the end of the contract period."

The concrete foundations for the plant equipment and the seawater holding tanks are now in place, and completion of the facility is expected in mid-2008.