Residents who live along the main West Bay Road corridor and some of the connecting neighbourhoods are served by the Island’s only public sewerage system which is operated by the Water Authority - Cayman (WAC). The wastewater is collected in the West Bay Beach Sewerage System and treated at WAC’s wastewater treatment plant.
Residents located outside of the public sewerage system area have their wastewater treated in an on-site wastewater treatment system, typically located on the same property as the residence.
On-site systems are septic tanks or aerobic treatment plants, both of which discharge the treated effluent into an effluent disposal well. Septic tanks are typically used at older and smaller developments.
Both treatment systems require maintenance. Solids accumulating in the treatment system reduce treatment capacity over time and require periodic removal (pump-out) by licensed septic tank cleaners, which are listed on WAC’s website. The required frequency of pump-out ranges from one to five years, depending on the size of the tank and usage. In addition to periodic pump-out, aerobic treatment systems require routine maintenance of mechanical equipment, e.g. motors, blowers and pumps.
Septic Tank Cleaners
WAC maintains a register of certified service providers, which can be found on their website. Unlike WAC’s wastewater treatment facility, the management of on-site wastewater treatment systems is the responsibility of the property owner, but can be outsourced to a service provider, and some oversight is provided by WAC.
