A Call for Civic Responsibility as the Water Distribution Network Is Gradually Restored

Water is flowing again from the island’s taps—or at least from some of them. Repair work carried out at the Sidem industrial site, following the rupture of one of Public’s buffer tanks on Saturday, June 13, has been completed. On the morning of Saturday, June 20, the restoration of water service to the lower-lying areas of the island began, with the initial goal of filling the Colombier reservoir. Throughout the process of gradually restoring water to the distribution network, the entire population is asked to act responsibly by using water sparingly.

In an online post, Territorial Council President Xavier Lédée expressed hope that water service would resume “in the early afternoon,” noting that the restoration “will be gradual.”

Willy Lachtman, SAUR’s director for the Antilles and French Guiana, highlights the challenges involved in restoring water to the system. “Technically, it’s important to proceed gradually,” he emphasizes. Water isn’t like electricity. You can’t just flip a switch to restore water to the entire population. We have to avoid pipe breaks and network failures, which would be very harmful to the population. So we’re restoring service gradually. We fill the lower areas first. Once the system is fully pressurized, we’ll be able to restore service to the higher areas. So it will take several days for water service to return to the higher areas.”

Water Supply Cut Off in Case of Excessive Consumption

In addition, President Lédée notes that an order declaring the water undrinkable has been issued. “After an event like this, tests need to be conducted,” explains the elected official. “These tests will be conducted starting Monday by teams from the ARS (Regional Health Agency). They require a week of processing and analysis before the results are available.” Xavier Lédée states that it is “strictly prohibited to stockpile water” and warns: “We have already agreed with SAUR that any excessive consumption detected on the network will result in the suspension of service to the affected meter until the network stabilizes.”

Throughout the phase of gradually restoring water supply to the network, residents are asked to exercise moderation and responsibility in their water consumption. This is to ensure a continuous supply to all households on the island.