MONTEGO BAY, St James – Baccus Engineering Works Limited on Thursday signed a $68-million contract for the expansion of the Essex Valley Water Supply System in the southern section of St Elizabeth.

The project, which will see the installation of booster pumps and the transmission of water from the Long Hill Well to a 180,000-gallon tank at Chocolate Hill via a 300-mm diameter transmission main, will benefit several communities including Myersville, North Hampton, Warminster, Nain, Litiz, Baalac, Fairfield, Cheapside and Gazeland.

Speaking at the brief signing ceremony at the western regional Office of the Prime Minister in Montego Bay, Water and Housing Minister Dr Horace Chang said work is expected to begin shortly and is scheduled for completion within nine months.

According to Chang, the project is one of several being carried out in St Elizabeth to ensure that most of the parish will have a reliable supply of water over the next few years.