Establishing Self-Sustained Water Infrastructure for The Ritz Carlton – Molasses Reef, West Caicos

CHALLENGE

The Ritz Carlton – Molasses Reef is a luxury resort located on West Caicos, an island in the Turks & Caicos. The upscale destination features over 200 private suites and resort villas, several five-star restaurants, a full-service spa, a natural wildlife sanctuary, and two national parks. Given the island’s undeveloped state, there was no existing infrastructure to support the resort, particularly concerning the supply of clean and reliable potable water.

To address this, Newterra was tasked with building the first permanent desalination systems on West Caicos, ensuring the resort and the island’s future residential population would have access to a consistent water supply. The project required the construction of two systems: a 40,000 GPD desalination
system installed in 2006 and a larger 150,000 GPD system added in 2007.

SOLUTION

Newterra provided two custom, air-conditioned containerized water systems, each housed in a 40-foot container, to meet the island’s water needs. The systems included:

190,000 GPD Seawater Reverse Osmosis (RO) System: Equipped with an energy recovery turbine (ERT) for efficient operation, a PLC control system, and a touch screen HMI for easy monitoring and control.

Triplex Multimedia Filtration System: Installed for RO pretreatment, this system effectively removed suspended solids from the seawater before it entered the RO process.

The process began by pumping seawater from a well into the multimedia filters, where suspended solids were removed. Antiscalant was then added to the water to prevent membrane scaling. The pre-treated water was fed into the RO systems, which removed 99% of total dissolved solids (TDS), producing 132 gallons per minute (GPM) of water with TDS levels below 250 parts per million (PPM). The water was then pH-adjusted and disinfected with chlorine before being stored in a large tank for distribution across the island as needed.

RESULTS

Newterra’s desalination systems significantly improved access to clean, potable water for communities across West Caicos. The systems are remotely monitored, and a yearly service contract with Crane ensures that the resort’s management can focus on providing exceptional guest experiences without worrying about water supply issues.

This project not only supported the development of a world-class luxury resort but also laid the foundation for future residential growth on West Caicos, transforming an uninhabited island into a thriving, sustainable community.