Excerpted from the
WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT AT ELIZABETH HARBOUR MARINA - EXUMA
“ ... H.i. Background:
Within the
Caribbean, the whole problem of wastewater treatment related to the recreational industry (particularly yachts) needs to be address as there is a significant problem with waste disposal at most
anchorages, harbours and
marinas throughout most of the
Caribbean SIDS.
Both solid and liquid waste represent a problem, but sewage discharges are probably the major concern. The
Bahamas has more
marinas than any of the other Caribbean Island countries. New marinas in the
Bahamas are required to have
reception facilities for wastewater to secondary level after which the effluent is injected into deep holes. Solid waste
is taken to landfill sites on the larger or more populated islands, and smaller areas and communities use incineration and then collection. However, enforcement is difficult due to the geographical extent of the 700 or more islands across some 1,400 km of ocean, and there is still a need for better facilities and compliance, especially in relation to visiting yachts. One fairly
classic example of where this problem is now a serious concern is at Elizabeth Harbour in the Exuma Keys.
The Exuma Keys are an aesthetic attraction visited by many yachts every year. Elizabeth Harbour in
Georgetown attracts upwards of 5-600
boats a day. There are no moorings at Elizabeth Harbour and
anchoring causes
coral damage.
Elizabeth Harbour also has a history of contamination from sewage discharged mainly from visiting yachts, but also from waterside commercial establishments such as restaurants and shops. Visiting vessels
pump grey and black wastewater into the harbour causing environmental degradation and eutrophication.
Although there are varying degrees of awareness with regard to this problem, little has been done so far to address what are sensitive issues, impinging as they do on the tourism industry and its importance to the national economy. The need to
monitor and manage the entry and movement of recreational vessels within the Bahamas is recognised, and is reflected in the
recently adopted national fee on recreational vessels of $300 per vessel for entry into Bahamian waters. Inevitably, yacht owners will now expect some return on this fee and will be placing pressure on the
government to provide necessary facilities to justify such a payment. Their principle needs will almost certainly be high quality
anchorages and marinas with associated facilities for
maintenance and general upkeep. Foremost among these facilities should be the provision of
reception facilities for waste materials. Recreational vessels need to dispose of such wastes urgently upon reaching a berth or anchorage. It is
within the country’s (and the tourist industry’s) best interests to ensure that these waste materials are properly treated and disposed of rather than being allowed to create a serious threat to the all-important coastal and
marine environment.
This area of the Bahamas was nominated and adopted by the
Steering Committee as a Hotspot within the Caribbean using the GIWA-based Hotspot Selection Mechanism. This selection mechanism identifies Exuma as a primary pollution Hotspot Area within the Bahamas, with particular concerns related to microbiological pollution and eutrophication resulting from inadequate sewage treatment.
H.ii. Objectives and Activities:
Uncontrolled and untreated recreational vessel discharges are now a serious problem throughout the Bahamas, particularly within those areas where vessels tend to congregate in numbers. Clearly these recreational vessels represent a potential problem throughout their range and wherever they are cruising. However, these vessels are far less likely to discharge within Bahamian waters if A. the legislation and enforcement is sufficiently strict
and
B. if there are suitable and effective reception facilities at the major marinas and harbours.
Furthermore, many of the popular recreational areas still have inadequate provisions for
mooring or
anchoring. The objective of the
project will be to demonstrate how such facilities can be retroactively installed and sustainably managed, and how incentives for use (or disincentives for violation of
legal requirements) can be effectively established.
The main barriers for better control and management of vessel discharges and damage by anchoring are as follows:
A. Lack of reception facilities for vessel wastewater (grey and black)
B. Lack of moorings or designated anchorage areas to prevent damage to sensitive biological habitats
C. Inadequate legislative control and lack of capacity for enforcement
D. Poor incentives/disincentives for use of reception facilities, moorings or anchorage areas
E. Inadequate monitoring of
water quality to guide policy-makers and legislators
In order to remove these barriers and to address the threats, the following requirements and activities are necessary:
Establishment of a management infrastructure and strategy for Elizabeth Harbour
• Creation of an Elizabeth Harbour Management
Partnership (EHMP = Gov’t.,
Community, Commerce)
• Establishment of an effective monitoring and compliance capacity
Creation of effective wastewater reception facilities in Elizabeth Harbour
• Construction and operation of a marina/yacht pump-out system
• Construction of a marina/yacht pump-out system, including
delivery of a “pump-out”
boat capable of receiving sewage from vessels at
anchor throughout Elizabeth Harbour;
• Development of deep-well disposal mechanism
• Adoption of long-term
maintenance programme Deployment of moorings and establishment of anchorages
• Selection and approval of sites for moorings and anchorages (by EHMP)
• Deployment of agreed number of moorings
• Buoying of anchorage areas
• Public Awareness support (instructions to marinas on use of moorings and
anchorages)
• Adoption of long-term maintenance programme for moorings and buoys
Legislative and policy amendment to provide incentives for use of facilities and to establish responsibility for maintenance
•
Survey of existing discharge and solid waste disposal practices in Elizabeth Harbour
•
Survey of
current anchoring practices and resultant damage
• Baseline data collection and analysis for
water quality in target areas(s)
• Based on justifications from data, development of amended legislation and a proposed
compliance plan (including new requirements for all further constructions, both
private and commercial).
• Establishment of long-term responsibility and accountability for facilities
Sustainability and Replication
• Adoption of a sustainable
funding mechanism for maintenance of the pump-out
system, moorings and buoys, compliance monitoring, water quality monitoring, etc
• Formal confirmation of financial and political support to the EHMP
• Adoption of a long-term water quality monitoring programme for Elizabeth Harbour
• Submission of a detailed plan to
Government for replication of facilities and
supportive infrastructure/legislation throughout the Bahamas (including estimated costs and valuation of benefits versus losses to economy from inaction)
H.iii. End-of
Project Landscape:
By the end of this project, the Bahamas (with GEF support) will have demonstrated a cost effective, retroactive response to the problems created by recreational vessels within marina and harbour situations in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. It will also have provided guidance for proactive policy and legislative requirements for future recreational developments. Water quality within Elizabeth Harbour will have been improved and damage to biological habitats will have been mitigated and reduced. An Elizabeth Harbour Management body will be in
existence with a strategic plan to guide it. The Government of the Bahamas will recognise the advantages of the demonstration (versus the economic disadvantages of inaction), and will have adopted a policy of replication throughout the islands. The lessons and best practices
regarding retro-fitting of such facilities (as well as the value of pre-emptive planning for inclusion of such facilities in new developments) will be transferable and of great benefit and advantage to other Caribbean (and global) SIDS ...”
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