Barbados Water Authority Limited (BWA), a government statutory corporation, is the sole provider of water services.[1] Water supplied by the BWA in Barbados is pumped from wells within natural coral aquifers. The geology of Barbados is mostly composed of karst limestone which acts as a filter medium within the aquifers. The water service in Barbados is reliable and the water supply is safe and refreshing to drink, although the water source naturally of high quality; the BWA treats the potable water supply with chlorine to comply with World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
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Due to high demand, the water supply in Barbados is supplemented by joint General Electric and Williams Industries-owned coastal desalination plant in Brighton, St. Michael.[2]
Typically, water is conveyed by pumps at the individual sources to elevated reservoirs for storage before distribution to consumers by gravity. The headquarters of the BWA are at The Pine in St Michael.
Prior to the introduction of indoor plumbing to all of the houses on the island, it was a common practice for most areas in Barbados to have a communal-based standpipe. Neighbourhood standpipes have since been turned off at many points across the island due to several instances where persons were found using the standpipe to conduct things like washing their cars in order to avoid paying for the high water usage at their residence.