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Environmental Action: Effluent
Bonaire Talk: Environmental Action: Archives 2008-2009: Effluent
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By WuWeiProf * (BonaireTalker - Post #54) on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 - 5:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Sorry for be so long in posting - just now getting around to going through our photos from our March 2009 trip...

We saw this happen several times - once as we were returning on a boat dive with Jerry Ligon on board...

What could this be? And why would the property to the north of the Sand Dollar be sending this directly into the water???

First Image

Second Image

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #170) on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 - 11:11 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Wu Wei Prof, You have managed to photograph evidence of one of many examples of wastewater being discharged into the sea by shoreline properties and causing the rapid decline in Bonaire's reefs. This is why two years ago marine biologist Brian La Pointe said, if such leaking, seepage, and discharge wasn't stopped immediately Bonaire's reefs would be at the "point of no return." And in August 2008, Marine Park Manager Ramon de Leon issued a statement contending that without immediate trucking of sewage and cessation of discharge into the sea, Bonaire's reefs would be dead by 2011!

I would suggest sending your photos to both Sean Paton at Forum Antilles (info@ourconfidence.com) and to the Bonaire Reporter (reporter@bonairereporter.com). Perhaps such evidence will either "shame" them into stopping or result in enforcement of pollution laws through arrests and fines.

SOSBonaireReefs
SOSBonaireReef@gmail.com

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By a retired Grunt, back May 3rd (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #796) on Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 11:36 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Those location shown in those pics appears to be adjacent to the Buddy Dive bar and swim up pool area. Any idea what the discharge consisted of?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #455) on Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 5:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I wouldn't jump to a lot conclusions without a lot more evidence than a picture that might well be just runoff from filling the nearby pool. It is presumptuous to label this as evidence of pollution and to call for public shaming. In fact, it is darn near libelous.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3005) on Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 5:58 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

It appears that it would have been easy enough to walk a few feet along the properties from Sand Dollar to the flow site and find out where the liquid was coming from and what it was. Was that done before the posting above about 'effluent' and reef damage??

If Jerry saw this and was not concerned I suspect it is not a problem: JL is about as concerned about Bonaire's environment as anyone can be, especially the reef.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By WuWeiProf * (BonaireTalker - Post #55) on Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 7:06 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Retired Grunt - I don't know what this is. This outflow happened several times during our weeklong stay. I will post a photo I thought I had posted with my original post - the presence of that pipe and the repetitive discharge is what gave me pause...as well as the discoloration of the coral (notice the browning) and a fairly substantial number of crabs crawling around...

Mel - I presume your comments are directed to Pauline...it would be have better if you had made that clearer by addressing her in your post. If it's runoff from a pool, it's still treated water and not necessarily healthy for the water...unless bleach is healthy for fish...

Glenn - there is an 8foot wall between the resorts. To have gone onto their property would have involved driving out of the Sand Dollar, entering the neighboring resort, and then going to the water...I confess - I chose vacation time with my family over taking time to personally explore. Instead, I posted here because there are local folks on this board and they might well know what this is...so far, no one has provided an explanation. Jerry did not dismiss it - he said this was something he had thought of checking into in the past...

Anyway, I haven't had a chance to forward these photos yet so I don't have any official information/response...

Peace,

John

Third Image

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2145) on Sunday, April 26, 2009 - 6:34 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

WWF..Thanks for your posting & concern, but before we all jump to conclusions here, I suspect this is just a simple drain hole funneling rainwater which falls on the upper surface walk area. That's my guess. Nothing more malevolent than that. To label this as "effluent" when nothing is known about it is incitement at best. I seriously doubt the folks at Buddy Dive would allow anything else on such an open & obvious discharge funnel.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #171) on Sunday, April 26, 2009 - 11:15 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

FYI everyone, "wastewater" includes run-off from streets and walkways where all kinds of pollutants (oil, etc.) can become part of the stream.

As Brian La Pointe, marine biologist expert on nutrient pollution, pointed out on his tour of Bonaire two years ago, there are numerous outflows of liquid from land into the sea from all kinds of sources, but none of them are benign, meaning they are not just streams of clean, non-polluted water. The question is when will it be stopped--or will the reefs have to die first?

It would be progress if officials started testing these outflows for pollutants, and, if pollutants are found, they must be stopped. I hope Jerry and others can get that started.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil* (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #7510) on Sunday, April 26, 2009 - 11:40 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pauline, not to be snarkey but what would you propose we do with street runnoff? Yes I know it's nasty but I do not know of any good system to handle this. In Boston the storm drains flow into the sewage system where it is treated before discharge, great idea, not. Every time they get a big rain the system overflows and the nasty street runoff mixes with the really nasty sewage and it all ends up in Boston harbor.

In fairness to Boston the system was set up long ago before we knew better. They are also spending billions of dollars to create a new sewage plant that will handle it all.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #456) on Monday, April 27, 2009 - 3:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Since I've been a guest of Buddy Dive for over a decade, I thought I'd do a little snooping to find out about the "effluent" shown in the pictures. In fact, it is saltwater that is part of the desalinization plant that BD has...they make their own fresh water there, and the excess salt water that is pumped up is sent back to the sea. It may have extra salt in it -- I don't know -- but STINAPA makes daily checks of resort effluent to the ocean, and this pipe and the water shown are not an issue. This is the same desalinization process used at WEB, and you will also see water flowing back to the ocean from their facility.

I have to say, the resorts have no financial incentive to destroy the reefs. No reefs, no divers, no resorts.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2150) on Monday, April 27, 2009 - 4:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you Mel..I knew there had to be a rational explanation. I absolutely concur with your conclusion.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Jolly (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1275) on Monday, April 27, 2009 - 5:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Great bit of information Mel. Thanks.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By WuWeiProf * (BonaireTalker - Post #56) on Monday, April 27, 2009 - 5:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks, Mel...I feel much better about the whole situation. That's what's great about this board - ask and it shall be answered...8^)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #16517) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 8:16 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Mel for your input and putting our minds to rest.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #172) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 1:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mel and Jerry, How can your minds be at rest when the sewage from these hotels and shoreline properties continues to seep onto the reef, slowly smothering it? Did you not read Marine Park Manager, Ramon De Leon's statement from August 2008 saying this pollution would kill the reefs by 2011 if drastic action wasn't taken?

Did I miss something in recent months? Have all the shoreline properties been required to truck their sewage away from the shoreline to mitigate all the pollution from Hato to Punt Vierkant? Has the mobile sewage processing plant arrived? Is it up and running? What has given you such hope that nutrient pollution has stopped and the reef is on the road to recovery?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #458) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 4:50 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pauline, this thread is about that photographed pipe and effluent. Is your mind now more at rest on that issue?

I don't know what happens at the other resorts, but I'm pretty sure that Buddy Dive trucks its sewage waste to the mid-island dump. A septic tank can always leak, I suppose, but it is a holding tank, not a leaching field.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gail T.** (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3899) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 6:01 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I know Black Durgon trucks it's waste. I personally asked Al last July.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3008) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 11:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

This thread is also about 'guilty until proven innocent' and 'stirring the pot'.

If the effort put into posting here had been expended on Bonaire, the poster would have known that the 'effluent' (pejorative word!!!) was clean and no problem to the reef (he didn't seem to care about the reef enough to learn the facts). Or into a question to island authority instead of waiting near a month and then writing here to incite 'the locals' as he said above.

What is the definition of 'trolling'???

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By WuWeiProf * (BonaireTalker - Post #57) on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 9:41 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Glen,

Are you kidding me??? Stirring the pot??? Trolling??? Incite the locals??? Jeez, posts like yours are why so many of us wander away from this forum...like I said, I was on VACATION with 5 children...I had other things to do and wasn't super worried but concerned enough to ask about this when I came across these images when I finally had time to review our image files...But, thanks to you, I have actually reread the thread title and realized I left out the question mark...the one that I clearly had in mind - just look at my original post...

So, thanks for the lecture - and [from this point, I've self-deleted what the mods would have had to since this is a family forum.]

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By eddie blizzard (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 - 7:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

"Pauline, not to be snarkey but what would you propose we do with street runnoff?"


Pipe it to the salt ponds.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #179) on Thursday, June 4, 2009 - 7:03 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mel, the question is how often the hotels are trucking their waste and what proportion of their waste is being trucked.

If they wait to truck their sewage until it is backing up in the toilets, you can be sure it is seeping onto the reef, and that would be considered an irresponsible hotel. If they are trucking every week so most of their sewage is going to the pits at LVV instead of into the sea, that is a responsible hotel.

The question for tourists is what kind of hotel do you want to spend your money at.

I would suggest that tourists start calling their prospective hotels to find out whether it is irresponsible or responsible, especially if you are a diver or snorkeler concerned about the degradation of Bonaire's reefs. Perhaps if hotels knew their customers were choosing accomodations based on how they truck and treat their sewage, they might have greater motivation to do the right thing.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #494) on Thursday, June 4, 2009 - 8:28 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pauline, why don't you start a new thread about which hotels truck their waste in a timely way? Your most recent post, and several before, are good, but not related to the "effluent" pictures that this thread was about. In fact, this thread seems to be finished!

 


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