THE management of Jamaica’s wastewater operations is expected to get a boost from the formation of the Jamaica Wastewater Operators Association (JWOA). The JWOA was formally launched at its first annual general meeting, held last month at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

Primarily for operators of the island’s public and private wastewater treatment plants, the association which will facilitate interaction, training and sharing of “best practices” among these professionals, has as its main goals the protection of the natural environment of Jamaica, promotion of public awareness of wastewater operations and training and licensing of operators.

The JWOA, which prior to its launch, operated under an interim steering committee, has been facilitated by the Ministry of Health, the United States Peace Corps and the Coastal Water Quality Improvement Project (CWIP). CWIP is a bilateral initiative between the Government of Jamaica’s National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the United States Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The AGM saw the election of officers including president, Henry Whyte; vice-president, Horace Mais; treasurer, Errol Holness; public relations officer, Barrington Thomas; and general-secretary, Tanya Rowe. Directors are Nilisa Johnson, Errol Mattie and terrence McWinney.

At a reception following the AGM, Dr Scott McCormick, chief of party of CWIP, said that the important role of environmental engineering and specifically, wastewater engineering and wastewater treatment operations has been recognised by a society that is increasingly becoming more aware of the need for clean and healthy water.

He said that treatment operators play a critical role in “ensuring the optimal efficiency of treatment facilities which they manage”, and that the JWOA will provide tremendous opportunities for accessing up-to-date information and training, and facilitate the national and international networking of professionals and the sharing of “best practices” necessary to promote effective and efficient management of the island’s wastewater plants.

Keynote speaker, NEPA’s CEO, Franklin McDonald, said that improperly treated wastewater could have a negative impact on the general environment and coastal resources.

Noting that some of the sewerage plants in Jamaica are overloaded and in a state of disrepair, McDonald said that the disposal of raw or improperly treated waste in gullies and waterways had severe repercussions in terms of potable water, and the health of the very ecosystem on which our livelihood, and important industries like tourism, depend.

In this regard, McDonald said CWIP’s work with agencies like the National Water Commission (NWC) and the Scientific Research Council (SRC) was invaluable.

NEPA, he noted, was working to introduce a licensing and permit system as well as sewage regulations and this will be facilitated by CWIP’s assistance to the NWC in the formulation of an operational management programme and development of a manual for various types of wastewater treatment processes.

CWIP has also been working with the SRC in the evaluation of a sample of NWC treatment plants to assess their performance and develop operation and management manuals for operators.

Benefits were already being reaped, McDonald said, from the CWIP-facilitated NWC Advisory Monitoring Committees (AMCs) community partnerships in key locations — Negril, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Port Antonio — which monitor wastewater facilities and the NEPA/community partnerships which monitor coastal water quality and formulate intervention strategies.

The JWOA, he charged, has a critical role to play in building public awareness around the whole issue of wastewater management and disposal, environmental awareness in general and the promotion of “greener values” throughout Jamaica.

Endorsing his colleague’s comments, Lemuel Brady, director of Environmental Health, Ministry of Health, said it was critical that the public understands the importance of the proper treatment of wastewater to the environmental health and well-being of all Jamaicans.

“Whatever happens at the wastewater plant has repercussions on our coastline and the environment in general and ripple effects on our livelihood,” Brady declared.