As of Monday, December 20th, the general public, businesses, and organizations can begin purchasing their Saba Splash drinking water. Payment for the bottle must be made before, not on the same day, at the Receiver's Office, located at the Government Administration offices.
The cost per 5-gallon bottle will be US $4.50 and US $3.50 for a 3-gallon bottle. Consumers will pay an additional US $7 for the initial bottle purchase, payable once. After this, consumers will only pay for water if they return the bottle. The bottle cannot be damaged or contaminated, or it will not be accepted upon return. The US $7 is non-refundable.
Businesses and organizations can order their water via the Saba Government website https://www.sabagov.com/water-services. The orders must be for a minimum of 10 bottles to utilize this service.
A transitional system has been set up to make the purchasing of water accessible for residents: they can order and pay for the water at the Receiver's Office at the Administration Building located in the Bottom on Mondays and Wednesdays (8:30 am to 11:30 am, 1:15 pm to 4:00 pm) and Fridays (8:30 am to 11:00 am).
Pick up and return of water bottles is on Tuesdays and Thursdays, between 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at the big parking lot by the water filling station in the Windwardside and between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm at the Princess Juliana's Sports Field in The Bottom. People must show their receipt from the Receiver's Office to pick up their order. Payment on-site is not possible. The first 150 customers will receive a free hand pump with their water purchase.
The Saba Splash water bottling plant, which opened last month, was constructed with funding from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW). This Ministry also provided funding to subsidize the water price until July 2022. After July 2022 will be US $6 for a 3-gallon bottle and US $7 for a 5-gallon bottle.
Saba Splash will also become available in the supermarkets in the coming months. Once this happens and the water becomes more accessible, the transitional system for residents will be payment at the Receiver's Office and pick-up of bottles at the parking lot in the Windwardside and at the Princess Juliana Sports Field stop.
For questions concerning the water and the purchasing process, don't hesitate to contact the Saba Splash team at sabasplash@sabagov.nl or +599 416 3511.