Caribbean WaterWays
Newsletter of the GEF IWCAM Project


Volume 3, Issue 4


December 2009
In this issue:
End of Year Message
Mapping Groundwater Resources in

from GEF-IWCAM Regional
· Mapping Groundwa-
the Basseterre Valley, St. Kitts
ter Resources in the
Project Coordinator
Basseterre Valley,

- a Wake-up Call
St. Kitts--a Wake-
Dear Colleagues and

up Call (pgs. 1,2,3)
Partners,
The aquifer which underlies the Basseterre Valley is a


One year ago
significant economic and social asset to the people of St. Kitts
· End of Year Mes-
we were looking forward
and Nevis. The potable water extracted from this aquifer
sage from the GEF- to accelerated implemen-
represents well over 40% of the total water supply for the is-
IWCAM RPC (pgs.1, tation in 2009 and antici-
land of St. Kitts. To ensure that this aquifer continues to be a
7)
pating greater communi-
safe and reliable source of drinking water in the future, the

cation among participating
GEF-IWCAM demonstration project in St. Kitts aims to dem-
· Background on the countries and higher lev-
onstrate proper management and protection of the aquifer
GEF-IWCAM Project
(pg.2)
els of cooperation. We
and well-field on three fronts:

also anticipated the conduct of the project's Mid-

· Jamaica's Demo
Term Evaluation (MTE), which is a required "stock-
1. Mitigation of threats from contaminants;
Project Closes with taking" exercise and essentially an external "audit"
2. Protection of the aquifer, well-field and supportive ecosys-
a Celebration of
of our efforts, at the Project Coordinating Unit,
tem; and,
Community Empow- among Implementing and Executing Agencies, and
erment (pgs. 4--5)
among participating countries. As we end the year, I 3. Improved user-resource management.

am pleased to report that we received a positive

· GEF-IWCAM well
rating from the Mid-Term Evaluator and a strong
In tackling these objectives, the first step is to understand
represented at 18th endorsement for our collective work so far.
the groundwater resource itself. A thorough hydrogeological
Annual CWWA Con-
survey was undertaken to fully comprehend the properties
ference (pg. 6)

The MTE noted that the "GEF IWCAM is a and characteristics of the aquifer which would aid in its day-

·
very significant project that will deliver important
COLACMar 2009--
(Continued on page 2)
Marine Sciences:
(Continued on page 7)
Integration for De-

velopment (pg. 6)


·
Figure 1:
Fourth Project

Steering Committee
Meeting in the DR
MER Location
(pg. 7)
Map, Basseterre

Valley, St. Kitts,
· IWCAM Matters at
February 2009
GEF-IWC5 (pg. 8)

· Legislative Toolkit
for IWCAM Pub-
lished! (pg. 8)

· Workshop on Ap-
plied Project Man-
agement for GEF-
UNEP Projects (pg.
8)

www.iwcam.org

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2
IWCAM Caribbean WaterWays Newsletter



Figure 2: MER Transect A1
(Continued from page 1)

to-day sustainable management.
BACKGROUND ON THE GEF-IWCAM

PROJECT:
What do we need to know?


The Global Environment Facility-funded Integrating Watershed and
The Basseterre Valley Aquifer was the first aquifer to be
Coastal Areas Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing
thoroughly studied in St. Kitts in the 1970s by Dr. Joseph Christ-
States (GEF-IWCAM) Project was approved by the Global Environment
mas. Prior to this, the source of freshwater for St. Kitts had
Facility (GEF) in May 2004. Implementing agencies are the United Na-
strictly been freshwater springs. Dr. Christmas' landmark PhD
tions Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Devel-
thesis stood as the primary source of information on the aquifer
opment Programme (UNDP). Executing agencies are the Secretariat of
for many years. However, as St. Kitts continued to grow and
the
develop, more wells were drilled in the area and management of
Cartagena Convention (UNEP-CAR/RCU), the Caribbean Environ-
the well-field became more challenging as water demand in-
mental Health Institute (CEHI) and the UN Office for Project Services
creased and land use changed significantly within the water-
(UNOPS). The thirteen participating SIDS are: Antigua and Barbuda,
shed.
The Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Grenada, Dominica, Dominican Re-

public, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent
A comprehensive hydrogeological survey was completed for
and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. The length of the Project
the aquifer in September 2009, after 9 months of work by a
is 5 years and commenced in the second quarter of 2005. The Project
team of consultants that also worked on various other elements
Coordinating Unit is located at the CEHI, as agreed by the Implement-
of the project. The survey included various elements not limited
ing and Executing Agencies and the participating countries.

(Continued on page 3)
www.iwcam.org

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3
IWCAM Caribbean WaterWays Newsletter
(Continued from page 2)
technique identified three units in the Basseterre Valley Aquifer:
to:

1. Review and evaluation of all existing hydrogeologic data;
Unit I: A high resistivity unit of dry sands, clayey sands and
2. Recording of water levels and video survey of existing
volcanic rock. Unit I was an average thickness of 5.5 me-
wells;
ters.
3.
Unit II: A layer of intermixed sand, clay and rock similar to
Mapping of the aquifer using a novel geophysical tech-
Unit I but its resistivity signature is different due to partial
nique;
saturation with water. Unit II is approximately 14 meters
4. Sampling of wells for various water quality parameters;
thick.
and,
Unit III: A unit of gravels, coarse sands and boulder rocks
5. Construction of a computer simulation model.
which is the water storage unit of the aquifer system.

This unit begins at about mean sea level. Unit III is about
The main focus of this article is the mapping of the aquifer
22 meters thick. The resistivity of the lower part of Unit III
using a technique named Multi-Electrode Electrical Resistivity
is indicative of salt water. Thus, the fresh/salt water inter-
(MER). MER was used to delineate:
face is found in the bottom half of Unit III. This is shown

in Figure 2, pg. 2, (the interface is shown as the dashed
· The thickness and distribution of sediments throughout
red line).
the aquifer;

Figure 3 shows a map of the elevation of the fresh/salt
· Zones of increased porosity (areas where water can flow
more easily);
· Zones of possible contamination; and,
· The fresh/salt water interface (freshwater floats on sea-
water because seawater is about one-fortieth more dense
than freshwater).
Traditionally, these aquifer parameters are estimated from
direct observation and data collection from drilling of multiple
boreholes and installation of monitoring wells. However, drill-
ing is a time consuming, labor intensive and very expensive
activity. MER is a non-invasive geophysical technique that
accurately records variations in sediment distribution, poros-
ity, and gross water quality. Each hour of mapping with MER
is equivalent to drilling 56 boreholes without the data gaps
between boreholes!

Figure 3
How does it work?

water interface for the whole well-field area. This information is
Resistivity is the property of a material that resists the incredibly useful in terms of managing pumping levels in the
flow of electrical current. Geophysical techniques such as aquifer and to understand the likelihood of salt water intrusion
MER introduce electric current into the ground using pairs of in the future especially with the likely impacts of climate change
electrodes and observe the electrical fields that flow through and sea level rise. We can see that the pumping level in parts
the various layers of earth in the subsurface. The electrodes of the aquifer is in close proximity to the fresh/salt water inter-
are typically arranged in a linear array (called a "transect") ­ face. Together with water quality data (not shown here), the
as the distance between the electrodes is increased, more early stages of saltwater intrusion have been documented.
data on subsurface resistivity from successively greater
depths can be achieved. MER is a useful technique in
Overall, the use of MER has provided a wealth of NEW
groundwater hydrology because each type of earth material information about the Basseterre Valley Aquifer for a reason-
(sand, clay, rock etc.) exhibits a different resistivity. Also, the able cost. The results of the MER analysis have proven to be
resistivity of earth materials is very sensitive to water content. an excellent method for delineating the upper parts of the aqui-
In turn, the resistivity of water changes as its salt content in-
fer as well as the depth and variations in the fresh/salt water
creases.
interface in response to long-term pumping. This knowledge is

an integral part of any proposed Integrated Water Resources
What did we find?
Management Plan for the Basseterre Valley Aquifer as we con-
tinue to move forward in our efforts to protect this valuable re-

source.
Figure 1, pg. 1, demonstrates the various transects
This article was prepared by Dr. Halla Sahely of the St. Kitts
that were laid out within the area of the well-field. The MER Water Services Department.
www.iwcam.org

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4
IWCAM Caribbean WaterWays Newsletter
Jamaica's Demonstration
Project Closes with a
Celebration of
Community Empowerment!
Patricia Aquing,
Executive Direc-

tor, CEHI, pre-
sents an award of

The GEF-IWCAM Demonstration Project in Ja-
achievement to
maica officially closed on 12th November 2009 with a won-
one of the many
derful ceremony which celebrated the empowerment of 13
community rep-
communities in the Driver's River Watershed.
resentatives pre-

sent at the Clos-

The Driver's River Watershed is rated one of the
ing Ceremony.
least degraded in Jamaica and was chosen to help de-
velop Best Management Practices in environmental habits
Public Education
and activities incorporating the lessons and experiences
gained in other watershed management units and Small
and Awareness
Island Developing States. These were identified, planned

and implemented through a participatory process involving
A range of activities for
agency and community partnerships. Key to the success
students as well as
of this project was the formation of four committees to en-
adults designed to share
sure the adaptation and implementation of these practices
interventions, create
(Governance & Enforcement, Sanitation & Sustainable
awareness and encour-
Livelihoods, Environmental Monitoring, and Public Educa-
age environmental Best
tion & Awareness).
Practices were organ-

ized. In addition to

The Project also featured a Grants component
tree planting ceremo-
which gave twelve communities the opportunity to design
nies and summer
and implement a range of projects which addressed
camps, there were
schools sanitation improvement, solid waste disposal,
debating, essay and
mangrove rehabilitation and protection of river and water-
poster competitions;
ways, among other things.
expos and community

outreach meetings

The Closing Ceremony featured presentations by
(town meetings).
both agency and community partners. Tributes by commu-
nity persons in particular were testimony to the significant
impact of the project. The Project Management Unit was
School Sanitation Facilities
based at, and received excellent support from, the National

Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA). Mrs. Win-
Sanitation facilities (including toilets
some Townsend, Director, was the first to bring greetings.
and wash basins) were built
She was followed by Donna Spencer, representing the
in several schools.
Before
GEF-IWCAM Project Coordinating Unit, Christopher Cor-
bin, representing UNEP CAR/RCU, one of the Executing
After
Agencies, and Machel Donegan, Chief Executive Officer of
the Portland Environment Protection Association. The
Feature Address was given by Patricia Aquing, Executive
Director of CEHI, also one of the GEF-IWCAM Project's
Executing Agencies. She congratulated all partners on the
project's achievements and voiced confidence in the com-
munities' ability to both replicate and sustain activities
which make a positive difference in the Watershed.

www.iwcam.org

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5
IWCAM Caribbean WaterWays Newsletter

Before
Community Solid Waste
Community
Management
Disaster

Risk
Funding for manufacture and placement
Assessment
of

Assessing the
vulnerability and
risk of the
Driver's River
garbage skips and the
Watershed,
introduction of clean-up
looking at social
and recycling pro-
and physical
grammes in several
distribution of
communities.
After
hazards facili-
tated through
Farmers Training
interviews and
surveys which
Days
involved communities. Outputs included a handbook
Seven Farmers Training
on how to conduct risk assessment, a map of high
Days were organized. Top-
risk areas, brochures, signs and three training ses-
ics included: care of small
sions.
tools; audit management;
Improving Livelihoods:
Recycled Paper Products

Under the Grants component of this
effective use of com-
post; and, planting
techniques and "cut-backs". Farming "practicals"
Demo Project, funds were used
were also organized for a few local schools.
to acquire equipment for a
small-scale paper making ven-
Environmental Monitoring
ture which recycles waste paper

collected in the area. Commu-
Established
nity members also benefited
with the help of
from a Management Workshop
agency part-
aimed at teaching
ners, the Water
some of the skills
Resources
needed to run small
Agency and the
businesses success-
fully. This venture
helps provide an
income for those
Meteorological
involved and they
Services of Ja-
are fully committed
maica.
as they have no
other full time
jobs. They produce
a range of items
from recycled paper.
www.iwcam.org

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6
IWCAM Caribbean WaterWays Newsletter
GEF-IWCAM well represented at
Sources of Marine Pollution:
Experiences in Trinidad and
18th Annual CWWA Conference
Tobago and Jamaica" pre-

sented by Sandra Timothy,

The Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association
Trinidad and Tobago GEF-
(CWWA) held its 18th annual conference and exhibition under the
IWCAM Project Manager and
theme "A Green Future - Developing Caribbean Water and Waste
Lisa Kirkland, Jamaica GEF-
Resources" from October 4th to 10th, in St. Thomas, USVI. Mem-
IWCAM Project Manager
bers of the GEF-IWCAM team participated in various events held
during the conference.

All were well received and

generated lively discussion. A key

Vincent Sweeney, GEF-IWCAM Regional Project Coordi-
aspect of the GEF-IWCAM project is to
nator and Patricia Aquing, Executive Director of CEHI participated share lessons learned and ensure best
and moderated various sessions during the 5th High Level Session practices are widely adopted through-
(HLS) focused on the theme "Building a Water Secured Region: A out the Caribbean region.
Sandra and Lisa receive the
Caribbean Response". The group made the following recommen-


award from Ronald Williams
dations:

The conference closed with
1. The High Level Session be endorsed as a CARICOM Fo-
an awards ceremony and banquet at which the Engineer Ronald Wil-
rum.
liams Award for Technical Excellence (in conference paper author-
2. A joint session of COTED and COHSOD be convened in ship and presentation) was awarded to Sandra and Lisa for their
2010 with water as the agenda.
combined effort. Congratulations to Sandra and Lisa!
3. The CARICOM Consortium on Water be designated as a
technical advisory body on water to COTED and COH-
SOD.
4. A Regional Action Plan for Water be urgently developed
COLACMar 2009
within the context of a Common Water Framework.
5. The Regional Action Plan adopt IWRM and include strate-
­ Marine Sciences:
gies for resource mobilization, capacity building, data col-
Integration for Development
lection and management in collaboration with Ministries of
Finance and Planning.

Havana, Cuba served as host to the 13th Latin American
6. Water be represented at the quasi-Cabinet level of CARI-
Congress on Marine Sciences (COLACMAR) and the 8th Cuban Con-
COM as a substantive portfolio.
gress on Marine Sciences (MarCuba'2009) in October 2009. This

year's conference theme, "Marine Sciences: Integration for Develop-

The RPC and CEHI's ED ment", was ideal for showcasing the work of the GEF-IWCAM Project.
gave opening remarks at the confer-

ence Opening Ceremony and were
The GEF-IWCAM Demonstration Project in Cienfuegos,
also presenters and panelists during Cuba, exhibited several technical posters on themes such as agro-
the opening plenary session held on ecological management of farms. In addition to the substantial work
Tuesday, October 5, 2009. Present-
of the Cuban team, GEF-IWCAM sponsored the participation of mem-
ers during the plenary session high-
bers of the demonstration project teams from the Dominican Republic
lighted "green" activities being imple-
and Trinidad and Tobago.
mented in the water and waste sec-

tors in the Caribbean.

Mercedes Inoa Pantaleon, GEF-IWCAM Demonstration Pro-

ject Manager from the Dominican Republic presented on the evolu-

Four papers featuring the tion of pollution on the lower Haina River Watershed and its impact
Vincent Sweeney participates work of three of the GEF-IWCAM on the coastal zone. Richard Parkinson, Scientific Diver for the GEF-
in the High Level Session
demonstration projects were pre-
IWCAM Demonstration Pro-
sented during the technical sessions:
ject in Trinidad and Tobago,

exhibited a technical poster
· "Wastewater Treatment Plants as a Best Practice for Rural
on the findings of the long-
Settlements on Impervious and Semi-Impervious Rock
term coral reef monitoring
Overlaid by Shallow Soils" presented by Cornelius Isaac,
programme in Tobago. This
St. Lucia GEF-IWCAM Project Manager
programme is a highlight of
· "Protection of the Basseterre Valley Aquifer. Part I: Hydro-
the demonstration project in
geologic Evaluation" presented by Sandy Nettles, Ocean
the Courland Watershed of
Earth Technologies
Tobago as well as the Moni-
· "Protection of the Basseterre Valley Aquifer. Part II: Natu-
toring and Evaluation as-
ral Resources Survey and Park Management Plan" pre-
pect of the larger GEF-
sented by Dr. Halla Sahely, Assistant Water Engineer, St.
IWCAM Project.
Kitts Water Services Department
·
(Continued on page 7)
"Community Approach in Addressing Point and Non-Point
Jesus Manuel Rey of CITMA displays his poster
presentation
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7
IWCAM Caribbean WaterWays Newsletter
(Continued from page 6)
Fourth Project Steering

Sasha Beth Gottlieb, GEF-IWCAM Technical Coordina-
tor, participated in a panel on regional environmental projects.
Committee Meeting in the DR
She highlighted some of the challenges of multi-country, regional
projects as well as the successes realized to date.

The Project also shared an exhibition booth with the GEF-funded
Reducing Pesticides Run-off to the Caribbean Sea (REPCar) Pro-
ject and the UNEP Regional Activity Centre - Centre of Engineer-
ing and Environmental Management of Bays and Coasts (RAC-
CIMAB), displaying
posters and distrib-
uting materials on
the project.
Richard Parkin-
son of the Buccoo
Reef Trust, To-
bago, beside his
poster

The Fourth Regional Project Steering Committee
Meeting (PSC4) for GEF-IWCAM was held 15 ­ 16 October
2009 in Santo Domingo. This was preceded by a meeting of
the Implementing and Executing Agencies (IA/EA), on Octo-
Participants Lorenzo Brito of
ber 14. The meetings reviewed the Draft Work Plan and
Cuba and Mercedes Inoa Pan-
budget for 2010, received updates on project activities and
taleon of the Dominican
received the Mid-Term Evaluation Report. It was attended
Republic
by representatives from all but one of the 13 Participating
Countries.
(Continued from page 1) ...RPC's End of Year Message
sources Management (IWRM), Wastewater Management, and Applied
Project Management. Countries also promoted their work through partici-
regional benefits and offer lessons to other SIDS globally". It also found
pation in national, regional and international conferences and exhibitions
that the Project was well formulated and well undertaken by an experi-
and through staff exchanges with relevant projects and agencies. The
enced Project Coordination Unit with sufficient support from the two Im-
Project continued to strengthen partnership with other agencies, organi-
plementing Agencies and three Executing Agencies. In addition, the
zations and associations, and supported regional initiatives being pro-
Evaluator found that "no significant corrective actions were needed to the
moted by CARICOM, the Global Water Partnership and the Caribbean
project's objectives, activities or outcomes". A number of recommenda-
Water & Wastewater Association, as well as showcasing our work at the
tions were however made to ensure that we keep on track, and these
global level, during the 5th World Water Forum and the 5th GEF Interna-
recommendations have been largely endorsed by the Project Steering
tional Waters Conference. Outreach also included production of the Car-
Committee.
ibbean Waterways Newsletter, publication of other documentation (such

as the Legislative Toolkit for IWCAM), and convening of a series of work-

All this means that midway through our project, we are doing
shops across Participating Countries.
well and heading in the right direction. It however does not mean that

further effort is not required to keep us on track. 2009 saw the continua-

We approach 2010 with a clear recognition that the momentum
tion of all nine Demonstration Projects, and the eventual completion of
which has built up thus far must not be lost. There is still much to be
one, in Jamaica. We remain very proud of, and encouraged by, the many
learned and much to achieve. On behalf of the GEF-IWCAM Project
on-the-ground activities that have had direct impact on the lives of people
Coordinating Unit, I wish to thank all partners for their on-going support
in the Participating Countries. These now include improved waste water
and look forward to even more in 2010. Please accept our best wishes
treatment in rural St. Lucia, and improved livelihoods of women's groups
for a blessed and productive year.
in Jamaica through entrepreneurship, utilizing waste material to make



- Vincent Sweeney -
products (such as greeting cards) for retail trade.

Seasons Greetings & Best Wishes for 2010

Participating countries received laboratory equipment to im-
prove environmental monitoring and training continued in related areas
from the PCU!
such as Quality Assurance & Quality Control, Integrated Water Re-
www.iwcam.org

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8
IWCAM Caribbean WaterWays Newsletter
GEF-IWCAM Matters at GEF - IWC5
Legislative Toolkit for IWCAM pub-

lished!
The GEF-

IWCAM RPC

attended the

5th GEF Inter-

national Wa-

ters Confer-

ence (IWC5)

held in

Cairns, Aus-
tralia, from

October 25-

29, 2009.

Alex Cooman, Chris Corbin and Nelson Andrade-Colmenares of


UNEP-CAR/RCU appreciate the GEF-IWCAM exhibit!


The four-day meeting was attended by approximately 250 persons and involved a num-

ber of plenary and parallel sessions, an exhibition (referred to as the "Innovation Market-
This useful resource for use in amending and/or
place"), a film festival of GEF IW Project videos, and a number of field trips, one of which
drafting appropriate legislation in support of the
was to the Great Barrier Reef. GEF-IWCAM chaired a parallel session table during
core objectives of the LBS Protocol is now avail-
the "Small Table Dialogues on Mainstreaming Climate Considerations in IW"
able. Download it from our website:
www.iwcam.org or request a hard copy from the
and mounted an exhibit at the Innovation Marketplace titled "IWCAM Matters".
PCU.
Workshop on Applied Project Management for GEF-UNEP Projects



A regional workshop on Applied Project Management
was conducted by the Management Institute for National Devel-
opment for the GEF-IWCAM Project in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
from 21--25 September 2009.


This training aimed to provide key IWCAM stake-
holders and managers as well as some UNDP project officers
with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to manage the
implementation of GEF-UNEP projects associated with the man-
agement of watershed and coastal areas in 13 Caribbean Small
Island Developing States.


The workshop, which had 26 participants, also focused
upon the development and enhancement of core competencies
in Applied Project Management and upon enabling a better un-
derstanding of the GEF's project management principles.


Participating Country Focal Points, Demonstration Projects and others are invited to submit articles. Please contact
Donna Spencer at dspencer@cehi.org.lc
Contact Information:
GEF-IWCAM Project Coordination Unit
P.O. Box 1111, The Morne, Castries, Saint Lucia
Tel: (758)-452-2501/1412; Fax: (758)-453-2721
E-mail: dspencer@cehi.org.lc
www.iwcam.org

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