Ambergris Caye Belize Resort Development - Department of ...

schedule. Nevertheless, it is expected that this demand will be high and consistent
with a gradual decrease in the demand towards the end of the construction cycle.
With this in mind, the project will obtain their water from two sources, mainly
from the installation of the R.O. plant which will produce 10,000 gals/day and
potable water from San Pedro Town. Barges will transport water to the Basil
Jones pier where it will be pumped into water trucks and transported to the site
where it will be stored in tanks for construction purposes.
4.5.1 Main Source Supply Description
Rain water will be sequestered from individual roofs and stored under buildings in
cisterns designed as an integral part of the foundation structure. It is estimated that 141
units will be constructed on the ± 37 acre property. This would represent 100 % of the
units being used for rain water harvesting. Considering the different building designs and
layout, the total volume of rain water stored by these buildings would be over 5 million
gallons as described in table 4.5.
The roof of buildings will collect the rain water where it will be conveyed to the
foundation via gutters and pipes. Each building will have an in line cartridge filtering
system designed built into them so as to make the water potable for human consumption
and other uses. These filters can vary according to the volume of water being stored and
will also require maintenance over time.
4.5.1.1 Average Rainfall
Similar to other sub-tropical areas, Belize generally experiences a wet and dry season.
The average rainfall throughout the country of Belize may vary significantly with
geographical area and time. Average yearly rainfall can range from 40 to 160 inches
(Parisner, 1995). Annual rainfall on Ambergris Caye averaged 138 cm between 1952 and
1970, 143 cm between 1971 and 1980 and 200 cm between 1981 and 2003.
The dry season, with strong southeasterly winds, runs from January/February to
May/June. The rest of the year has an average of 50 inches (127 cm) rain, with easterly
but variable winds, and often a drier period in August. September, October and
November are usually the months with most rainfall. However, there are wide variations
between years.
Figure 4.2 illustrates the water harvesting layout plan for the proposed project. This
layout is in connection with table 4.5 described further in this section.
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