Jong Bonaire

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Jong Bonaire -- the teen center of
Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean

Can you drink the water?

Not only can you drink it,
you'll savor it!

seawater enters the plant
Seawater enters and is filtered

one of the distillers

The vacuum distillers dwarf the technical staff

color-coded pipes

Green pipes carry seawater, yellow are steam and blue are finished water

the beach at the outlet

The beach, right next to where the water returns to the sea

pumping the water to storage

Finished water is pumped to tanks high on the hills (red arrow) for storage

How many vacation spots are there where one of the attractions is the drinking water? Not many, but Bonaire certainly is one. Visitors and locals alike delight in the taste-free water that's not only good to drink but also seems to make the food, coffee and tea here taste better.

Two methods
The water comes from WEB, our electricity and water utility and it starts out as the same seawater found on our healthy reefs. Huge pumps draw in filtered seawater and pass it on to be either distilled or ultra-filtered. Both methods have their advantages.

The distillation method takes advantage of the waste heat from the production of electricity. This heat is piped off to warm the water to about 50º Celsius (about 122º Farenheit). The water is kept under vacuum so it actually boils at this low temperature, becoming steam that is cooled and condensed by the incoming colder seawater.

Boiled under vacuum
Vacuum distillation is expensive but results in the best water quality possible. The extra cost is worth it, though. When the residual brine is returned to the sea the temperature is only 38C or lower (just above body temperature). This protects the animal and plant life. In fact, the beach at the WEB plant is among the healthiest around. The ultra-filtration (reverse osmosis) system is less expensive but requires a bit more post-treatment of the water. With both methods, the water is tested daily and treated to the standards of the World Health Organization.

Up to the hills
WEB currently can produce about twice the daily consumption of the island so there is room for growth. In addition, the company can store many days of water in its tanks around the island and has developed two different plans for assuring the island's water supply in case of storm surge. Even in the worst case, WEB expects that it can re-establish a reliable supply within a day or two.

Come to Bonaire and enjoy the water:
in the sea and in the glass

WEB
Water en Energie Bedrijf Bonaire N.V.

Kaya Carlos nicolaas #3

tel: (599) 717-8244 fax: (599) 717-8756
e-mail: web@bonairenet.com

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