Water (E)

The high backbone of mountains that cuts across Dominica from north to south stands in the path of moisture-laden clouds that are carried off the Atlantic Ocean by the North East Trade Winds. The height of the island forces these clouds to rise and as they do so rain falls and is most heavy on the east coast and in the interior, where measurements of over 300 inches per year have been recorded. This provides the island with a continuous water source from rivers and springs. Apart from being used for drinking and washing, water has been used to supply mechanical power for plantation factories and from 1905 and more extensively from 1954 for generating electricity. The first piped water system was provided for Roseau from Riviere Douce in 1874. The first legislation to control and operate water distribution was enacted under the Water Supply Ordinance of 1879. The Public Works Department was in charge of all government waterworks until the Central Water Authority was created by an Act of Parliament in 1967. The Dominica Water and Sewerage Company Ltd. (DOWASCO), incorporated by Act No.17 of 1989, replaced it in January 1990. Significant work on construction of reservoirs and intakes for villages around the island was undertaken in the 1950s and 1960s. For a time in the 1980s water was exported in bulk aboard tankers to neighbouring islands. A water bottling company was also established utilizing water from a spring at Snug Corner near Loubiere.

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