BonaireTalk Discussion Group
Environmental Action: Breaking News 3
Bonaire Talk: Environmental Action: Archives 2008-2009: Breaking News 3
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Captain Don (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #354) on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 2:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

August 20

Breaking news
Daddy Warbucks

Firstly before words. Let me remind you that you guys that your are us and we are you. With out you we could not exist. Never lose sight of that fact.

Was told the other day that they ( some hotel folks) wished BT dead. Outlaw. BT. You are nothing but a bunch of silly fools any way.
Well some times as I read your threads I smile and wonder.

Oke. Breaking news. By the grape line I have been in formed that the hotels have finally made a statement. Not for verbatim but!

This is the first time out of the closet for the hotels since I opened the topic environmental action, The only subject being wastewater.

Never losing sight that I am a hotel man myself. I have done bad things like leaching. Then many years at a horrible cost we at Habitat bit the bullet and installed a well working sewerage system.

None of the other hotels followed. Would not listen, a total apathy was present and obviously didn't care. I am firstly an enviromnalist. first and above all thus the reason of the 'Poop water war.'

That afternoon on May 21st 1962 when I discovered Bonaire's virgin reef I swore to the make I would protect these at all costs, regardless. Even at the cost of soiling tourism. 47 years has changed nothing. Even a threat of bodily harm. I read this as progress in the "Poop war."

I have proclaimed that at all cost , the filthy process leaching of wastewater in to our sea will stop. It's costing me friends. And dividing the island's loyalties. I fear for tourism. But sorely it has gotten the way.

The grape vine:

1, It is said that BT'er are being miss lead by emotion rather than logic. I think this remark might be about the SOS suggesting boycott. I see no connection between this SOS thing and you BT'ers I read it as one pissed off citizen that loves Bonaire. I will however admit she was poking a stick into a hornet's nest.

2, There was a statement that shoreline Businesses (Hotels) have done no wrong because They have not violated any current building code. Law etc. (unless they are dumping raw sewerage directly from their toilets into the sea. and "they are not"

Well magic has come to play. Flush a toilet , Down goes all the nitty gritty. And into the septic and into a small tank.


Then hang around for a while screaming, I'm clean I'm clean and ready to return to where I came from. Hey that momentary interruption of a toilet flow into few holding tanks then into the sea is oked by the building code. Oh boy. Never a mention of the filth.

And the Poop water war goes on. more explove than ever. . Hey an idea. Why not just put it in the swimming pool and bi pass WEB save a few bucks.?

Hey BT'ers I expect your reaction on this thread.

Daddy Warbucks

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6754) on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 3:16 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Captain, keep up the fight. We may be superficial at times but do not confuse this for lack of concern. Our issue is lack of leverage not desire and unfortunately I do not see us boycotting Bonaire. Even if we did and went somewhere else, where else is our poop treated on an island. He11 the Keys have been fighting for sewage treatment even longer than Bonaire and way more people putting their poop on the reef. Much less the agriculture run-off. Talk about major algae blooms, the Gulf of Florida will soon be one big dead zone.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6756) on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 3:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

A quick perspective on the Key's sewage problem.

From there.
"Tests have shown that the contents of a toilet flushed down a cesspit can show up in nearshore canals in a matter of hours. After twelve hours the sewage can be detected three to five miles offshore along the delicate living coral reef. "

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5457) on Monday, August 25, 2008 - 9:18 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Captain, If a sewage system was installed at the Habitat and works why wouldn't the other establishments on Bonaire follow that path?
Isn't it to "their" benefit in the long run?. Pristine reefs are what bring the tourists to Bonaire.
Is it the cost of putting in such a system what is stopping them from doing so or is it that many don't have the land space needed to install one?
Also,,would you care to share what a system like the one used at the Habitat cost to install?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Captain Don (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #355) on Monday, August 25, 2008 - 5:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hey a CQ CQ to lady Meryl Virga. We's got some catching up to do. First the batteries. Do you sill want them yes or no? And if yes where do I deliver them?

Second. I noticed that you like to dive on the walls. Which one? maybe I got a yarn for that site.

Okay. Now current. Habitat and its wastewater system. We will share with any one. I have told you before, I designed Habitat as an environmental center, not a resort or even a hotel, but rather a camp (some say).

We designed, discovered, sought answers from the sea. We are 100% for nature. That's who and what we are. and we share with our brethren. (If they desire.)

I retired in 87 at 62yrs. However, I am
still active with the 'Camp'!

I bought a large plantation and started raising plants and trees. We are the Island Grower NV.

Greening the island.

Further I specialize in sh-t. I have discovered how to make it work for us. I have hundreds of gardens using my methods now. That's another story, however, if you wish.

Back to The Habitat's wastewater. It took us two years to build the system. The cost, something around 100,000 nafls. Maybe less.

I worked on the system for the Hospital several years ago, and it is about the size that would be good at Buddy Dive. Their cost was 132,000 nafls.

It lasted a year before breaking down. Motors and pumps you know?

The maintenance is daily. You never turn your back on a shi-t machine.

Like said. We share, but never wondered why others don't follow. Maybe $$$$$$$. Not for me to say.

However, one last thing the system costs money to run, but it is worth it...

For us at Habitat there is no talk of expense. not when it comes to our reefs.

Captain don/

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5458) on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 11:18 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Captain, thanks for the personal response! I'm blushing!
We will be on the island Sept 20 to 27th. We will take back what we can fit in our luggage if thats ok? If it is ok we will come to you (you've kept them for so long we can at least pick them up!)
We come to the island twice a year so we should be able to get rid of a bunch for you...maybe some other BT's could do the same as we have recycle center's in the states.
So getting back to the poo...the hotels would have to put out about 50 grand (US) to install a habitat type of system. (Any new hotels should be already factoring this into their plans !)
I am really bad at math but... if the hotel(s) had 60 visitor's each month for a year and they were charged 70 more a visit it should pay for the intallation.
Now you didn't say how much it cost to maintain "the system". But if it was 50,000 a year the 70 dollar increase would still work.
With gas prices and airlines raising the prices and people complaining about rate increases already...I am sure alot of people will stay away because it may become unaffordable for a time....
But this may give the reefs time to recover...
We look so forward to our vacations! An increase in the price is always upsetting...but how do you measure the loss of the reef!
My personal favorite dive is Angel City..I do like wall dives but Angel city is like paradise.
We have tried 5 times to get out at Alice in Wonderland and never made it..something always goes wrong...fin breaks, o ring, free flow regulator..so we chalked that dive off to better safe then sorry. :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron Gould*** (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1692) on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 12:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Meryl, The batteries in question weigh alot! It is aganst FAA rules to carry acid batteries on a passenger plane. The good Captian is pulling your leg like he likes to do to everyone he meets... Ron

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Captain Don (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #358) on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 3:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

CQ CQ CQ to finish our conversation of last.

Fyi; CQ is to all stations.

Again to finish the converation

Habitat Leads the Way
In Reef Protection

We all know that too many nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) will kill coral reefs. Every time a toilet is flushed or a load of laundry is washed, more nutrients flow toward Bonaire’s reefs – the island’s most valuable and vulnerable natural resource. A recent study covering 14 locations around Bonaire’s reefs by Brian LaPointe from the Center for Coastal Research , Ft. Pierce, Florida found that our reefs are fast approaching a tipping point. He summarized with the statement that "The results are cause for concern and action" in the June Bonaire Reporter. Bonaire’s advanced wastewater treatment plant, which will remove most of the nutrients from human waste, is probably years away from being operational, yet developmenton the island continues. What do we do in the meantime to protect our reefs?

At Captain’s Dons Habitat, the management and staff are not waiting around. In the summer of 2001, with the assistance of EarthEcho International, Dr. David Vaughn and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, a customized wastewater treatment (WT) plant was built to biologically remove the nitrogen from their domestic waste stream. The plant has undergone several modifications and fine tuning over the past 6 years with a major renovation and installationof an advanced customized wastewater treatment plant completed in the summer of 2006. This AWT plant replaced the older original on site treatment system. The day to day operation of this new plant is expertly managed and kept tuned by Habitat staff person, Margaret Romijn with the expert advice and assistance of Mr. Eldon Gemmil, a Water Quality Engineer and Scientist from the U.S.. Recent test results from the new system showed an 87% removal of ammonia nitrogen, which is toxic to aquatic organisms, and a 60% removal of all nitrogen compounds. These preliminary numbers will likely improve as additional fine tuning and adjustments are implemented. Another benefit of this process has been a significant reduction in sewer gas odor around the septic tank. Following the advanced wastewater treatment process, the resulting clear discharge water is used to irrigate the lush vegetation surrounding Habitat. This further removes nutrients through plant uptake, plus it conserves precious fresh water.

The testing of Habitat’s new system also showed removal of 17% of the phosphorus biologically, although phosphorus is difficult to remove biologically in a tropical climate. In order to get a higher percentage of phosphorus removed, chemicals would have to be imported and added to the wastewater. The sludge produced would then have to be disposed of. There is an easier way!

Thirty years ago, the State of Maryland in the USA was trying to protect the Chesapeake Bay, a large inland estuary considered both a state and national treasure, from too many nutrients. By switching from phosphate based detergents to phosphate free detergents, millions of pounds of phosphorous were eliminated from the Bay, without adding any chemicals or producing a mountain of sludge. Bonaire could benefit from a similar switch, and yes, clothes will still be just as bright, bold and clean as they are now. This simple switch could do much to protect our reefs.

The testing and fine tuning of Habitat’s new AWT system is ongoing. If these early results are any indication, this small, relatively inexpensive type of treatment system may provide a useful model to be implemented at other places on the island as a way to safeguard the reefs until the time when the proposed new mega treatment plant is built and becomes operational.

Note. I know how to build 'em - You got the where with all and I got the know how. Show me where and you got yourself a niffty WWT system. and plants if you need 'em

Don. Owner Island Grower NV


 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Detlef SCHWAGER (BonaireTalker - Post #33) on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 6:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dear Captain Don,

In 2002/3 I visited your plant at Habitat. I guess I saw only the “old” plant with 4 metal boxes (cambers), using a since early 90’s well-known “Moving Bed Biofilm Technology”?

Is your new advanced plant using basically the same “Moving Bed Biofilm Technology”, or did you move eventually to vertical flow Constructed Wetlands, which are very robust and have less wear parts and energy demands? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructed_wetland

Maybe you know, both technologies and all the others (even the proposed new mega centralised SBR treatment plant) uses the biofilm system (sessile micro-organism) for the biological cleaning process.

May you explain more about your new WWT and probably send some photos?

By the way, if many well functioning small treatment plants decentralised installed, why replacing all later by one large expensive “White Elephant” plant? Furthermore, if less water is misuses for only flushing kack and urine down the pipe, the treatment plants could be of smaller sizes, don’t you think so to?

May I suggest to locate the needed small treatment plants (preferable simple Constructed Wetlands where space is allowing it) just outside of the protected 500-meter coastal band and having for the NGO Nature Alliance promoted neighbourhood systems only one centralised management and O&M with remote operation monitoring, and user-friendly visualisation. MEURO20 are more them enough to do so in a professional manner.

Since many years in the NL the detergents are phosphate free by government policy, for the same reasons as in Maryland, USA. Bonaire is going to be part of NL. Bonaire local Government could adapted this NL-policy in advance, if they are not occupied by others...


All the Best

Detlef


PS: I hope the past time of NATO is over. NATO = No Action, Talking Only



 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #112) on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 6:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Yes, Captain Don, I think Detlef makes excellent suggestions for localized sewage plants. My question to you, Captain Don, is why the other resorts are not following Habitat's lead and doing the same? Do they not know of the technology or do they not want to invest the money? What can be done to make all the other resorts and hotels construct similar plants? Who needs to be persuaded? Who needs to be cajoled? Who needs to be pressured?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Detlef SCHWAGER (BonaireTalker - Post #34) on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 7:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dear Pauline,
This question should go to local Government and eventual to STINAPA to.

My “learning by doing” teaches me, if you expect that all entrepreneurs loving Nature like Captain Don, you and many others, you get very much disappointed.

You might get “them” in your boat by showing them without big-head very practical ways how to reduce daily running costs and have even extra profits by

- saving energy,
- ecological sanitation,
- producing their own renewable energy and
- preserving water ...

and that the "by-effect" of al of that, the Preserving of Nature is even on top a good advertisement to get more paying guests.

I can not expect that YOU will/can do this very demanding assignment. This is a typical long-term- “job” of a Bonaire NGO-Nature Alliance leaded by NGO STINAPA and funded e.g. by EU and others.

I hope I was helpful to you and as well to the up to now ignorant entrepreneurs.

All the Best
Detlef

PS: One addition to the message to Captain Don:

To install small decentralised Constructed Wetlands treatment plants on the island you do not need a PhD ;-)!

If a contractor know how to do pavements well, only with some little practical guide he/she can install Constructed Wetlands plants to, as it can be build mainly with local materials (sand, gravel) and do not need any high-tech stuff.

The only import would be a sewage pump, a 1.5 mm thick Polyethylene (PE) membrane, some PE and PVC-pipes and some practical guide.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5459) on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 9:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Captain,,,did you pull my leg?

 


Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.


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