Government Commits US$250 Million to Hermitage Dam Overhaul

Jamaica's National Water Commission (NWC) is preparing a US$250-million programme to modernise the Hermitage Dam, the Government has confirmed, marking one of the largest single investments in the country's water infrastructure in years.

Matthew Samuda, Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, announced the spend on April 28 during his presentation to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives. He said the work will involve a full technical study of the dam's structural condition, an audit of sediment build-up, and measures to lift the facility's holding capacity over time.

"Complementing this initiative is a planned review, which is under way, of the Mona Reservoir to determine the appropriate size of an expansion of this facility as well as necessary rehabilitation works. The third pillar of our capacity increase programme is, indeed, the construction of the Rock River Dam in Clarendon," Samuda told the House.

On the ground, the NWC has mapped out a list of priority storage tanks needed to bolster secondary supply, and will put US$7 million toward raising capacity at elevated locations during the current fiscal year. Samuda noted that emergency readiness has also been beefed up with mobile treatment units and standing arrangements with private water haulers to fill gaps during droughts or service interruptions.

Fresh treatment capacity is in the pipeline as well. "New treatment capacity is also being pursued with the intended development of water treatment plants at Roaring River in Westmoreland and at Rio Bueno through PPPs (public-private partnerships), which the Government has engaged the IFC (International Finance Corporation), the private-sector arm of the World Bank, to work with us to ensure that we get the best competitive offer," he said.

"We will further complete the engineering and planning works that will allow for the upgrade and expansion of the White River Treatment Plant, the Martha Brae Treatment Plant, and the Great River Treatment Plant facilities. This will add some 30 million gallons daily to the north coast," the minister added.

Samuda further pointed to the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) as a vehicle to harden the sector against future shocks. Among the projects flagged for delivery under NaRRA is the overhaul and replacement of the ageing Yallahs/Negro River raw water pipeline, a key artery feeding the Kingston Metropolitan Area.