St. Kitts Saddlers well produces 175 gallons per minute in early testing

St. Kitts & Nevis: Water was found at a new drilling site in Saddlers on July 30, 2026, under the Groundwater Drilling Project. On August 21, 2026, the Government reported that drilling had been completed and the well had produced around 175 US gallons per minute in early testing. The Government of St. Kitts & Nevis is working to improve the island’s water supply and provide 24-hour water service.

This is the first well drilled as a part of the Government’s EC$28 million Groundwater Drilling Project. The project is being carried out by the

St. Kitts Water Services Department with Water and Oil Well Services from Trinidad & Tobago and technical specialists. 

In a social media post, PM Drew said, “our goal is clear: 24/7 water for our people, wherever they live in St. Kitts.”

Water supply in Saddlers, Harris’ Village, Lavington, Belle Vue and nearby communities will be improved due to the new source. The existing water source of the area produces around 50 gallons per minute.

The well was drilled to a depth of about 640 ft, with water reached at around 500 ft. Officials are carrying out more tests in order to determine how much water can be taken from the well over time without affecting the source.

Project Manager Joshua Ross said that the result from Saddlers was “a very promising well.” The first tests have recorded about 175 US gallons per minute.

The well is not yet connected to the public water supply. After the testing is complete, a permanent pump will be installed. The project would also include a pump house and other equipment before the new source is connected to the existing water system.

Saddlers was selected after the surveys identified 17 possible locations for groundwater drilling across St. Kitts & Nevis.

The groundwater project is being carried out along with other work in order to increase the island’s water supply.

Basseterre Desalination Plant is another project, which began operating in February 2026. It also increased the water supply of the nation by about two million gallons per day. Chief Water Engineer Landrith Isaac said that in order to improve the water supply across the island, several water projects need to work together.

According to Isaac, St. Kitts could reach around 99.9% 24-hour water service coverage once the new groundwater wells are completed and connected to the water system.

Cayon has already seen an improvement from a new groundwater source.

After drilling at Saddlers was completed, the drilling team moved to Newton Ground for the next well. Work there had reached about 108 ft. The well is expected to reach between 500 to 600 ft. Officials said that the drilling is moving faster at Newton Ground after the team gained experience from the Saddlers site.

The Government is also considering other locations such as, Black Rocks, Parsons Ground, Tabernacle, Sandy Point, St. Paul’s, Brimstone Hill, Old Road, Molineaux, Stone Fort, Challengers and Cayon for future groundwater drilling.

The drilling project is expected to take around 18 months. Pipelines, electricity connections, pump houses and additional storage will also be added as the wells are completed.