Residents and businesses across 13 communities in Antigua are bracing for days of restricted water access starting next week, as the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) prepares to take a key production unit at the Fort James Reverse Osmosis Plant offline for critical preventive maintenance.
The public utility announced Monday that the planned work will cut the plant’s total water output, forcing a shift to intermittent supply for all customers that rely on the facility for their daily water needs. To minimize disruption to daily routines, the plant will continue to distribute water only during fixed windows throughout the maintenance period: from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time each day.
The maintenance shutdown is set to launch on Tuesday, July 14, with crews targeting a full completion by the afternoon of Friday, July 17. Once the work wraps up, the offline production unit will immediately resume regular operations, restoring full water service to all affected areas, APUA confirmed.
A wide swath of northern and central Antiguan communities will feel the impacts of the shutdown. The full list of affected areas includes Dry Hill, Fort James Beach, Runaway Beach, Sandals Resorts, Villa, Yorks, McKinnons, Crown Gardens, Upper Fort Road, Friars Hill Road, Gambles, and Point.
In a public statement, APUA extended a formal apology to residents and business owners for the unavoidable disruption to their daily routines, while urging customers to plan ahead for the restricted access window. The authority emphasized that the short-term inconvenience is a necessary investment to boost the long-term reliability of Antigua’s overall water supply network, protecting against unplanned outages in the coming months. Officials also thanked customers in advance for their patience and cooperation as crews complete the essential upgrades.