Montego Bay and the west: where the water comes from

The National Water Commission (NWC) names three on its impact fee page, which is undated:

• Great River, expanded from 10 to 15 mgd (million gallons a day), with a 22-mile main to Lucea
• Martha Brae, restored from 3 to 6 mgd, with a main to Braco
• Logwood, 7.5 mgd, serving Negril to Lucea

NWC ties this work to Trelawny, St James, Hanover and parts of Westmoreland. These are plant sizes, not what reaches your tap today, and the page does not say which community draws on which plant.

Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Westmoreland, on 28 October 2025 as a Category 5 storm with winds of 185 mph. PAHO/WHO listed Trelawny, Hanover, Westmoreland and St James among the worst hit, with Manchester and St Elizabeth.

Days later JIS reported that turbidity, damage and long outages had disrupted NWC and municipal treatment. PAHO's report of 27 January 2026 still said chlorine and bacteria levels had not reached adequate levels for domestic systems, in its regional summary.

We found no statement of where each western system stands today, a year on. Treat that as unknown, and use our storm water steps when in doubt.

Check two places: NWC's advisories by parish and your parish health department. Then look at the glass. A Westmoreland health officer told residents in 2025 to steer clear of NWC water that looks discoloured or murky until it is safe.

Heavy rain is your other warning. NWC says muddy rivers and blocked intakes hit small surface systems, so a downpour in the hills can show up at your tap.

One difference from the east: the seven parishes in the 2026 Prohibition Notices, as the Gleaner reported them, do not include St James, Hanover, Westmoreland or Trelawny. Check for any local notice before you hose.

It is a named risk. The Water Resources Authority's 2022 master plan lists the Montego River and Martha Brae River management units among those vulnerable to saline intrusion, and watches for chloride above 250 mg/L. We have no readings for any one community.

If you draw from a well or spring, put chloride on your test list. The only old local hardness figure we found is 172 ppm, from a spring near Dromilly, St James, in 1970; more on that at hard water.

Outdoor fittings near the bay also face salt air, and rusty ones can fail at the wrong moment.

Apply to the Roads and Works Department of the St James Municipal Corporation. Its published list asks for:

• Four full sets of plans for a house, six for commercial work
• An engineering report above two storeys
• Proof of ownership and the surveyor's ID
• Review by Fire and Health

The target response is 90 days. A permit lapses if work has not begun within 6 months, and extensions run up to 2 years.

Caution: those requirements are headed "AS AT JULY 1, 2008" and refer to the old Parish Council, so check them first. Use the application form, and see building approval for what plans usually show.

Your parish's municipal corporation is the local building authority, as the law firm DunnCox describes the Act. We did not read the Hanover, Westmoreland or Trelawny corporations' pages, so we cannot quote their lists. Ask whether repair work needs permission before you replace drains, since KSAMC at least counts external repairs.

NWC only recommends on water and sewerage proposals outside Kingston and St Andrew. New or restored lines go through NWC connection steps.

Wiring after storm damage is for a certified electrician. JIS reported in June 2026 that Government Electrical Regulator certification enables grid connection by JPS; we could not verify the steps or whether a given job needs it.

NWC lists Negril and Montego Bay among its wastewater systems. We found no street-level list for either, so the sewer map is a question for NWC's office, not something to assume from what the neighbours have.

Being near one can still touch your wallet: NWC says charges may apply within 100 yards of a sewer, connected or not. Check your bill for the sewerage line.

Outside those networks, expect a pit or septic tank unless NWC tells you otherwise. Pits damaged by flooding go on ODPEM's list to service as soon as possible; see flooded septic, and stay out of them.

Then the plants above matter less than your own roof and land. Plenty of people are in this position: the 2023 guideline says 15% of Jamaicans use rainwater as their main supply.

• Start with rain catchment sized to your household.
• If you draw from a spring or well, read the licence and consent position first.
• If someone else supplies your area, the Office of Utilities Regulation licenses private entities, and Parish Councils also play a part, according to NWC. We could not find a list, so ask at the municipal corporation.