Construction of one of the two large retention infiltration ponds.
- EUSTATIUS–The public entity St. Eustatius has completed the first of two large retention ponds with the objective to minimise erosion and increase water capacity for commercial and domestic uses.
Within the Rebuilding St. Eustatius envelope, special provisions were made to tackle erosion near the cliffs of F.D. Roosevelt Airport’s runway. To achieve these goals, two retention ponds are being built near utility company STUCO’s solar park and near the airport runway.
Construction of the first pond started in June and was completed during the first week of August. Work has already started on the second pond, commonly known as a catchment.
The work comprises the construction of two retention ponds, of which the first – the northern pond – started on June 10 and was completed August 11. The scope of work consisted of earthwork: the excavation and profiling of the basin or pond; installation of geotextile underlayment cloth; and installation of and anchoring of the polypropylene liner panel. Fencing of the area will also take place to prevent unwanted and easy access to the pond.
The dimension of the first retention pond is 23 metres wide and 45 metres long – a surface area of approximate 1,035 square metres, and five metres deep. The capacity of the pond is approximate 3,100 cubic metres.
This project, located on the eastern side of Statia in the vicinity of the solar park, was specially designed to collect runoff water from the panels. The collected water will be primarily reserved for agriculture and animal husbandry.
The retention ponds are to significantly increase the island’s water capacity, mitigating the relatively high water cost, water availability and access for local farmers and livestock owners. These ponds will also be used as a water source for the St. Eustatius National Parks STENAPA reforestation project which is already in execution.
This project, managed by the Directorate of Economy and Infrastructure, is a collaboration between the public entity and the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations, and is being carried out by a local contractor.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/90210-first-of-two-retention-ponds-completed
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