The Water Quality Monitoring Programme is one of the more established programmes in the Environmental Protection Department. The Water Quality Section has conducted groundwater monitoring since the 1980s and nearshore monitoring since the 1970s and these programmes have expanded to include additional sampling locations and the analysis of a greater number of parameters.

 

 

The objective of the Water Quality Section is to identify any concerns with the water supply which may negatively impact the health of the public.

 

The Water Quality Section currently conducts four programmes which are the Groundwater Monitoring, Nearshore Water Quality Monitoring and Wastewater Treatment Plant Monitoring. The Public Swimming Pool Inspection and Licensing Programme has been transferred to the Ministry  of Health.

 

 

The Environmental Protection Department and the Barbados Water Authority conduct a joint groundwater quality monitoring programme. Sampling is conducted monthly at twenty two potable supply (PS) and nine agricultural supply (AS) wells in the Belle, Hampton and West Coast Catchments and seven public springs.

 

 

 

 

Groundwater samples are analyzed for twenty five chemical parameters and three bacteriological parameters and are compared with the World Health Organisation Drinking Water Quality Guidelines.

 

 

The nearshore monitoring programme is the most rigorous, with sampling being conducted weekly at beaches on the North and South Coasts. This monitoring programme was expanded from a total of ten beaches in 2003 to fourteen beaches in 2004, then eighteen beaches in 2005. The North and South Coast beaches currently sampled by the Department are listed in the table below.

 

South Coast Beaches	West Coast Beaches
Accra	Batt’s Rock
Amaryllis	Brandons
Browne’s	Brighton
Dover	Coach House
Grave Yard	Heywoods
Miami	Holetown
Peebles	Mullins
Silver Sands	Old Brandons
Welches	Paradise
Worthing

 

The samples are analyzed for enterococci and faecal coliform organisms at the Sir Winston Scott Polyclinic Laboratory and should conform to the standards of the proposed Marine Pollution Control (Discharge) Regulations.

 

The following additional data is also collected.

 

 

Periodic monitoring is conducted of packaged or municipal wastewater treatment plants. Wastewater treatment plants are necessary to intercept and treat hazardous substances that might be present in wastewater before they are discharged to the environment. These substances not only include human wastes and the pathogenic organisms that might be found therein, but also toxic metals and chemicals that may enter the sewerage system.

 

Wastewater treatment plants are inspected annually using facility review criteria, which assess general sanitation, plant maintenance, record keeping and effluent quality. This assessment allows for the classification and grading of treatment plants.

 

The parameters for which wastewater samples are analyzed are: