BonaireTalk Discussion Group
Everything Else Bonaire: Waste Treatment on Bonaire
Bonaire Talk: Everything Else Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999 - 2004: Archives - 2002-01-01 to 2002-03-26: Waste Treatment on Bonaire
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - NetTech on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 8:39 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Some of you may know that local environmental efforts, along with the Bonaire government, with support from the European Union are looking to put real waste water (okay, sewage) processing facilities on Bonaire to help reduce/prevent any excess nutrients from getting into the ecosystem. This effort seems to be moving along, finally.

Several of Bonaire's hotels and resorts have implemented various methods to treat their waste water, and when Jack Chalk dropped me a note about a novel approach being used at Habitat I thought it made sense to share it with y'all, because it's kind of interesting (and I wish I could manage to implement it where I live!).

See:

http://www.habitatdiveresorts.com/Solutions.html

Jake

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 12:10 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I always wondered where the waste went on Bonaire..I have noticed that some of the resorts plants smelled a little funny when the gardeners where watering them...It must be hard to have good drainage in your septic system (do you have a septic system?) The ground seems so hard that I can't imagine it would absorb much....Can the waste once processed through this new system be used for irrigation? I know that there were stories that some developers were trying to get a golf course started...(you know near Artys world..that is going to be built in 1998?) Could this be the answer to that problem?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Josie on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 12:24 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for passing that on Jake. Kudos to Jack Chalk and Habitat. It would be great to see other resorts implement this or something similar, on Bonaire and other locations.

It'll be interesting to see if anything comes from the EU efforts.

My brother in England tried working with an EU department responsible for "African development projects". He's a produce importer and was trying to help fruit growers in Ghana get support to create a packing plant. They probably needed about $200,000, but were told that the EU department really weren't interested in projects under about $20 million!!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andy Keely on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 3:48 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

That's really good stuff, Jake!
Well...you know what I mean.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Scott on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 9:20 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well that’s really not new at all, but I applaud any effort to keep the tur*s off the reef. However I hope this solution doesn't impede the much needed septic system the island needs so badly. Hope Bon can learn from the FL Keys, the golden goose almost got choked to death before the bullet was bitten, and the bucks allocated to start to build a pressurized system.

Ever been on the wild side of the island and had the displeasure to watch the honeydipper spew their cargo into the deep blue?

Meryl, you’re right and wrong. The rock could either be impermeable or have cracks, holes or even caves, depends on the location. Might not perk or could be a direct conduit to an aquifer or the reef.

I hate golf courses with a passion.(Here in SWFL each golf course uses the same amount of (ground)water as that of a city of 60,000,- per day. Hate ‘em even more so when they are sited in incredibly stupid places.

Of course, I’m a terrible golfer too

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - NetTech on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 10:00 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

The gold course which was to be part of Arty's World was to be miniature golf - a much more conservative user of water than a real turf and sod golf course.

What's the honey dipper, Dave?

Jake

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linda Richter - NetTech on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 11:12 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Actually Bonaire has received grant money for the development of a waste treatment system. The first implementation I believe is to be in the Hato area where a majority of the hotels are. Various government departments are working on their portion of the plans. I haven't heard any deadlines but the signs are good that it is in the works.

Current septic systems here involve a septic tank which must be emptied quite often. Old septics where dug pits into the limestone.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil Berry on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 11:13 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jake, I saw the same thing and posted a link in the cam section. Two great minds deal.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 1:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

So once the septic tank is pumped out, where does the waste go now? I am also a non golfer and have heard that the amount of water AND pesticides it takes to upkeep a course is very large. I can't even imagine that Bonaire would think of building one when runoff would infringe on its reefs. Now if we can get them to take down the Arty's world sign!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Scott on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 1:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jake - septic tank pumpout truck

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 2:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Most miniature golf courses I have seen have little or no real, growing grass--too many feet for grass to last.

Many people have been working very hard for many years to get an island-wide septic system in place. One of the biggest hold-ups was that the Netherlands' monetary system doesn't have the municipal bonds that the US uses to fund such projects. All the money has to come from the Dutch government. Finally it is happening, as Linda said. Which likely means that the system at Habitat will be unique on the island--expensive for a short term investment by already strained properties. Good for H's reef and good world-wide publicity for H, Cousteau and Harbor Branch!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jack Chalk on Friday, January 18, 2002 - 11:25 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dear All,

First, Jake thanks for posting the link. Second,
Dave, the hardware being used is not new as you mention, however the process is completely new. There are aspects of the system that I couldn't put in the article as there are certain patent items still pending. This project will in no way impede the proposed island wide system. The money has been approved from the EU, however, we are still probably 5 to 10 years from completion. In the meantime, waste water will still be making it's way to the ocean and our reefs. There are also many other islands around the world that don't even have the money set aside yet for a treatment plant. This new process could be the answer for them. We are hoping to use this model to get more of these systems out not only here in Bonaire, but all over the world.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Scott on Saturday, January 19, 2002 - 7:40 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Good luck Jack, hope it sells.

Meryl, haven't been to Bon since '96. But I suspect that "it" is still pumped into the deep blue on the west side of the island, at several locations, which also serve as trash dumps. when ever you see(saw?) a bunch of fabric on the ironshore you can bet you are looking at one of these dumps. Used to be one very close to nucove, of all places.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga on Sunday, January 20, 2002 - 6:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I was afraid you were gonna say that! Glad while driving around the island I have never seen anyone dumping....(by the way...Andy is looking for you! :) )

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Wansley on Monday, January 21, 2002 - 7:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Congratulations to you Jack and also to Habitat for your efforts in dealing with proper waste management. As posted above I've also wondered what happens to our waste when we flush on Bonaire, I mean I knew there were holding tanks and the grey water was used for irrigation, but what happened to the pumpout. In my five visits I haven't seen very much in waste water treatment arena, and it's great news that proper steps are being implimented. I have hoped that the same kind of thing that was happening in the Fla. Keys with injection wells and seepage was not going to happen on Bonaire.

A couple of years ago, I had the most unpleasant overhead view of a septic tank truck clearly dumping it's contents into the ocean on your neighboring island of Curacao. We had just taken off from the airport there and looking down from my window seat I saw a sight that made me sick. On a dead end road, a white tank truck at the edge of the shore, and a brown merky mess disapating into the blue ocean. Thought they were supposed to be the more industrialized (read developed) island. Decided right then I didn't want to dive in Curacao!

The Engineering firm I work for is tops in the Process Design field. All I have to do is figure out how to make them think it was their idea to help out. Maybe I should chaperone a trip down. (grin)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga on Monday, January 21, 2002 - 11:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

One more "Wow" for me...I still visualized waste being "pumped" out to sea...can't believe they just dump it so close to the shore? If this is done on the west coast? Not sure that is the only place..but doesn't that effect Lac bay..which is very Low tide?

 


Visit: The Bonaire WebCams - Current Bonaire images and weather!
The Bonaire Insider - the latest tourism news about Bonaire
The Bonaire Information Site, InfoBonaire
Search Bonaire - Search top Bonaire Web sites


Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration