Upgrade for Negril wastewater system

NEGRIL, Westmoreland: NEGRIL, a seven-mile stretch of white sand beach, has in recent times been impacted by grave environmental degradation, with the erosion of its beaches, the flow of untreated water into its rivers and the drying up of its Great Morass, a wetland covering over 2,000 hectares.

"Well, we now have the opportunity to kill all birds with one stone," observed Carey Wallace, president of the Negril Chamber of Commerce. Wallace sees a primary solution to the town's environmental challenges in the upgrading of the Negril Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is also the cause of some of these issues.

Some of the sewage ponds at the plant constructed 12 years ago with funding from the European Union (EU) have been sinking, resulting in untreated water entering the Negril wetlands, where the facility is located at Sheffield in Westmoreland. Within that time, Negril has experienced increased number of housing settlements and rapid growth in the tourism sector.

EU to the rescue

The EU has again come to the rescue of the residents and business owners who are being negatively impacted by the plant which has had some technical and construction defects. The EU, through its European Development Fund, is seeing to the facility's upgrade with the provision of a $243-million grant to the $278-million project. The remaining $35 million comes from the Government of Jamaica through the National Water Commission.

"The relationship between the morass, the river, the reef and water quality is well established, to the point where it is well known that poor water quality affects the natural environment, making it of paramount importance to keep the water quality coming from the wastewater treatment facility of a high standard," said the Chamber president.

He is convinced that with the upgrading of the plant, the erosion of Negril's beaches can be lessened by controlling the seepage of pollutants from the facility into the sea which kills the coral reefs. "Also, if we are able to further upgrade the plant to the tertiary level, thus improving the water quality coming from it, we could use that water to rewet the morass, as is being proposed by the Scientific Research Council, to prevent the frequent fires there," he proffered.

answer to rallying cry

The Negril Wastewater Treatment Plant was the answer to the rallying cry of the mid-1990s for a practical solution to the stem the seepage of waste from hotels and domestic households in the areas, including Orange Bay and Sheffield. The consensus of residents, business owners and civic leaders is that though the facility diminished the situation, the environment was still being affected as the system wasn't functioning at its optimum.

The residents and investors are keen on the system upgrade, as it is widely expected that an improved facility, functioning even at the secondary level, should bring an about-turn to the challenges, until it is time for further upgrade or the construction of a new treatment facility on lands more conducive to such development.

An outspoken Clinton Muffat, who resides in Sheffield, declared that the "scentsation" of the sewage is unbearable at times in his community, especially in the early mornings, and after it rains heavily.

Milton Clarke farms on land adjacent to the facility and complained that his farm has been flooded out on more than one occasion by overflowing sewage ponds. This, he said, has been affecting his livelihood, as the chemicals used in treating the waste normally destroys his crop. He added that the fish stock in the adjoining river is on the decline, as the sewage contamination levels rise.

In spite of the flooding, stench and other environmental challenges being experienced by the community with the Negril Wastewater Treatment Plant, Marlon White, who resides in the area, is hopeful that the upgrading works on the plant should see it working better. "Once yuh can control di overflow, everyting wi awright," he declared.

Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni, head of the EU delegation to Jamaica, said the upgrading of the facility is but a partial solution, as while the situation will improve, the problem won't be completely solved.

Upgrading works:

Raising and connecting the embankments of the stabilisation ponds

Installation of flow control devices and improvement in the outlet structure

Purchase of truck mounted vacuum

Increase in the operational capacity of treatment plant to serve approximately 50 per cent of domestic households and 85 per cent of hotels