Water Use at Palmetto Point and Middle Island, Saba, Dutch Caribbean: A Modeled Approach for Settlement Viability

Abstract

The neighboring abandoned villages of Palmetto Point and Middle Island, on the northwest of Saba, Dutch Caribbean, relied upon rainwater caught in cisterns as their primary source of potable water. The island of Saba is located in the northern Lesser Antilles, and thus is subject to a rainy and dry season in the course of a year. Using measurements of the village cisterns and their respective catchments combined with variations in monthly rainfall data over the course of a year, a study of water replenishment versus water consumption is possible for Palmetto Point and Middle Island. As a result, fluctuations in population in villages with measurable, finite supplies of potable water allow a researcher to determine the viability of the villages at particular points in time, and the resultant effects on internal economies and social dynamics during these periods.