"6 April 2005
To Whom It May Concern:

As an environmental engineer and someone who has been intimately familiar with Harbour Island for the past 38 years, yet removed enough not to be blinded by day-to-day exposure, I cannot help but recognize and lament that the harbour is showing all the tell-tale signs of environmental degradation.

When I was a little girl in the 1970's there were sea grass and good fish around the government dock. Now there is slime on the bottom, algae floating on top, and the bottom vegetation is largely comprised of previously non-existent, ugly, little broccoli looking plants. The only notable fish are barracuda. There is also a new and rampant variety of anemone on the bottom, and the chance of being stung by jellyfish or anemone is no longer unlikely. Every time I return to Harbour Island the affected area has both grown and worsen. It is sad on a personal level for Harbour Island is my family home. But more importantly, an entire community is in jeopardy for I fear that if left unchecked, the beautiful harbour and island will spiral downward, taking the Island's livelihood, tourism, along with it.

What is causing the water quality in the harbour to deteriorate? The simple
answer is too many nutrients and too little oxygen, a process referred to in
the scientific world as eutrophication. But more importantly, why and how
is this happening? And most importantly, what can be done to rectify the
situation?

The harbour's impaired state is likely the result of five factors: sewage,
garbage, organic waste, stormwater runoff, and disturbance to the harbour
bottom.

Sewage: Most homes, hotels and restaurants in Harbour Island have septic
systems. There is no sewer system, and to my knowledge none of the hotels
has a treatment system. Over time nutrients from septic systems leach into
the groundwater and eventually into the harbour. Some of these systems tie
directly into tidally influenced groundwater making the nutrient's path to
the harbour a quick one. It may also be possible that there are
harbour-side homes and restaurants whose sewage discharges directly into the
harbour.

Garbage: The dump and/or transfer station in Harbour Island has been an
on-going concern for years. The dump's location directly adjacent to the
harbour means that there is no buffer between the garbage and the water.
Because garbage is hauled to North Eleuthera its seaside location may
arguably be necessary. However, improvements can and should be made to
clean up the area and better contain the garbage and the leachate leaving
the site. Garbage is often dropped into the harbour when it is being loaded
onto the barges. Every time it rains the stormwater that has come in
contact with the garbage and all its associated bacteria, heavy metals,
pollutants, etc. runs off directly into the harbour.

Organic waste: It is important to recognize that biodegradable refuse can
significantly contribute to the degradation of a waterway. When fish guts,
conch slop or potato peels are thrown into the sea, large amounts of oxygen
are required to breakdown this waste. As a result the water is depleted of
the oxygen necessary for healthy marine life.

Stormwater runoff: Every time it rains, the rainwater washes the surface of
everything it comes in contact with * roads, docks, rooftops, dumps * and
then that rainwater runs downhill to the nearest body of water carrying with
it all the dirt and grim it picked up along the way. The gas that was
spilled on the dock will be transported right into the harbour. The silt,
sand, litter and oil droppings on the road surfaces will run right down
Mission Hill or Big Hill or some other hill into the harbour. Stormwater is
probably the largest source of pollution to waterways, and it is also
probably the most difficult to treat. However, it can be managed through
minimization: minimize the amount of development and the number of people on
the Island and the number of vehicles and the amount pollutants on the roads
and docks will automatically be minimized.

Disturbance to the harbour bottom: Harbour Island sits on a natural,
protected, deepwater harbour. Historically dredging has not been a concern
or even an on-going activity. Things have changed. It now seems that every
time I visit, there are dredging operations underway * a new deepwater dock,
a manmade beach. This must stop. I would like to hope that the
individuals employing the dredging are simply not versed on these matters
and do not realize the ramifications it has on the harbour. What happens to
the bottom of the harbour during dredging? The physical and biological
composition of the area changes. The sand and bio-matter on the bottom are
turned up. The plant and animal life is displaced. The bottom vegetation
may never be re-established or it may be of a different type. Natural
filtering of the water may be impacted. The turbidity of the water may
change. Shallow spawning areas are likely to be impacted. Sand, silts and
bio-matter deposited at the placement location can choke out the established
vegetation. The bottom line is dredging changes the natural delicate
balance of the harbour.

Most of these activities and concerns mentioned above have been on-going for
many years, seemingly without problems. However, as Harbour Island has
grown, the Island's pristine environment can no longer be maintained by the
status quo. Moreover the Island cannot sustain the pressures of big
development such as that underway at Valentine's or proposed at Romora Bay.
The biological and chemical balance within the harbour has clearly changed
and, I am certain, will continue to change unless steps are taken by the
community to improve the situation. One of the easiest and most effective
ways of doing this is to curtail new development and most especially new
development along the shoreline.

Amanda P. Malcolm, P.E.
Water Resources Engineer
Maryland Department of the Environment

For more information or to schedule an interview, please e-mail info@briland.com.

The Briland Modem
<www.briland.com>
News and Information for Harbour Island & North Eleuthera, Bahamas
[It's much better in the Out Islands.] - Coordinates: 25°30'N 76°38'W

Perhaps someone's listening:

April 08, 2005 – 08:40
Gov’t To Establish New Environmental Agency
The department would be responsible for reviewing environmental impact assessments and establishing monitoring protocols.

With various mega resorts coming on stream and the government negotiating many more, the administration of Prime Minister Perry Christie plans to establish a Department of Environmental Protection, according to a senior government official.

It would come in an age when many more Bahamians are becoming environmentally aware, challenging the government on its commitment to the environment in approving certain projects.

Minister of Health and Environment Senator Dr. Marcus Bethel, who addressed the Rotary Club of West Nassau on Thursday, said that the objective of the department would be to assist in conserving and protecting the natural environment.

“The objectives in meeting this goal would be to make constant progress in the provision of legislation, enforcement and public involvement, to work for the benefit of all citizens of The Bahamas and consistently take the country´s interest and its changing needs into consideration when making decisions,’ Dr. Bethel explained.

He said the department would also be responsible for developing relationships and cooperating with those governments or agencies that are charged with the duty to manage or develop the environment.

Dr. Bethel said like most small island developing states, The Bahamas depends greatly on the environment.

“The government realizes that protecting and managing the country´s natural resources and safeguarding against social and environmental ills are critical and are in our best interest,’ he said.

The Minister added that there is an increased urgency to conserve, protect and restore the environment.

Among the projects facing objections from individuals and groups fearing an adverse impact are the Guana Cay development and the proposed AES liquefied natural gas plant.

Minister Miller assured that these projects would not destroy or significantly damage the environment.

According to the Minister, in recent times, increasing efforts have been made to integrate environmental management into the development, planning and approval process.

“We recognize that the future social and economic development of The Bahamas depends on responsible use of natural and manmade resources,’ he said.

The department would be responsible for reviewing environmental impact assessments and establishing monitoring protocols, according to the Minister.

“We must promote development in a sustainable fashion that allows for the co-existence and the sustainability of our environment,’ Dr. Bethel said. “In other words we cannot develop in a fashion that destroys our environment.’

He said such a department is considered critical.

“The heightened level of economic development in The Bahamas, particularly along the coastline and in more sensitive wetland areas has crystallized the need at the policy level for a centralized focus that we can work together in ensuring a sustainable and healthy environment for this and future generations,’ Dr. Bethel said.

He told The Bahama Journal that unlike The Bahamas Environment Science and Technology Commission, which is an advisory board, the new department would have statutory powers.

“The department would incorporate all the dispersed powers over six ministries,’ he said.“It´s part of the problem and things fall through the cracks at this time.’

Dr. Bethel said the proposed legislation to establish the department has been circulating over the past year.

“My hope is before the end of the year we would be able to bring some conclusion to this,’ he said. We need to move as expeditiously as possible.’

Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal

From briland.com:

The new owners are proposing the construction of 40 condominiums and a 510-foot dock (complete with 46 slips) at the harbourside site of Romora Bay Club on Harbour Island. What with the buzz about the project, and the meeting planned for 13 April between the developers and the Harbour Island District Council, the developers have scheduled an information meeting for the community.
:fly: :fly: :fly:
Monday night, St. John's Parish Hall on Colebrooke Street, 7:00 p.m.

The topics to be covered:
- Size of the proposed project
- Pollution that would be generated by the project
- Concerns about water and power supply
- Effects on the community
:taped:
There will be local speakers. Food and drink will be provided. Please contact your local council representatives for more information, and plan to show up to show your support for the community!
:dancer2: :dancer2: :dancer2:
We'd like to have as large of a turnout as possible so that the town council understands the extent of community interest and concern as to the potential impact of the proposed project.