Currently, on average, the nation of Antigua requires approximately 7 million imperial gallons a day. Three types of water sources are used in water production in Antigua; the sea, surface water and ground water. The sea is all around the Island, surface water is from rain which gathers in ponds and dams, and ground water from deep within the earth, accessed through wells.

The breakdown of the daily production is as follows:

Please note that the capacities listed are know as the “installed capacity” which is the maximum capacity possible once all conditions are favourable. Factors such as sea conditions and the age of the plant can affect the actually production capacity.

Reverse Osmosis Plants

• The APUA Crabbs RO Plant –  3.1 million imperial gallons
• The APUA Camp Blizzard Plant – 600,000 imperial gallons
• The Ffryes Beach Reverse Osmosis Plant – 600,000 imperial gallons
• The Pigeon Point RO Plant – 330,000 imperial gallons
• The Ivan Rodrigues RO Plant – 1.6 million imperial gallons

Water Treatment Plants

• Delapps Water Treatment Plant – 1.5 million imperial gallons
• Bendals Water Treatment Plant – 700,000 imperial gallons

Ground Water

• Well fields – 400,000 imperial gallons

APUA, rising to the increased need for water in Antigua has been expanding production capacity over the years. The newest additions to the water production system is the expansion of the Ffryes RO plant producing an additional 300,000 plus imperial gallons.

Formerly, APUA had an agreement with Eneserve (now known as Sembcorp) to produce a minimum of 3.1 million imperial gallons. This agreement was originally signed in 1992 at a time when APUA did not have the technical abilities to operate a Reverse Osmosis Plant. The Authority has since over the past decade been able to upgrade its technical staff and abilities to install and operate reverse osmosis plants.  Producing water via reverse osmosis is a costly venture which requires a large amount of electricity. APUA relies on surface and ground water as much as possible given the inexpensive nature of its production. As a drought prone island, relying on surface and ground water often becomes difficult, this creates the need for reverse osmosis.