Development of Water Reuse Regulations and the Implementation of Water Augmentation Strategies–A Case Study of the Barbados Water Authority

Barbados is classified as one of the world's top 15 most water scarce countries based on a renewable water resource availability of 390 cubic meters per person per year. Current groundwater abstraction levels either equal or exceed the developable and sustainable groundwater yields for most of the groundwater units for the island based on available fresh water resource estimates. The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) is establishing the framework for long-term management of a proposed water augmentation strategy, which includes the development and refinement of existing policies and regulations to manage potable water usage and regulate non-potable water usage and distribution. This case study presents the components of the strategy to address the demands for water for irrigation and other non-potable purposes, the greatest strain on the country's potable water supply.