Mt. Thrashmore Photo 2year Anniversary!!

(Photo by: Kerry Horek, no unauthorised reproduction without owners consent)

On April 14, 2009, I took a photo of the country's worse disaster, which is the growing mountain of smelly garbage growing in leaps and bounds on a daily basis. It is amazing to note that to date nothing has been finalized, or agreed upon to formalize any resolution to deal with this two years later! Haven't we delayed this growing pain long enough?

However, since these times, we have made some positive changes in the community and I wish to use my blog to thank the grocery stores for stepping up to the plate and doing away with plastic bags. However, I note recently when I shopped I forgot my cloth bag, and I agreed to take a plastic instead but was not charged the 5cents as was told that would be the penalty for opting for plastic grocery bags. I suggested to the cashier that I must pay for this and only then did she agree to take my money, and said to me she was new and wasn't told to charge for it. So are we taking a step back? I also recall that once the plastic bags were done away with there were no signs of them on the checkout counters. However, today they are very prevalent at checkout versus the cloth bags which are mainly hidden under the counters. I also further noted that most cashiers will not ask if you wish to purchase a cloth bag, but rather ask if you want a plastic bag for your groceries if you don't have a cloth bag with you.

It is situations like this that really irks me in this country. We are gung-ho for a short while and because the dust has settled, we go right back to doing the same thing over and over again and that is using plastic bags more versus cloth. How can we change the mindset of others if we are not being proactive and remaining there when it comes to choosing plastic over reusable cloth bags? The fact that the plastic bags are fully biodegradable as some have printed on them or can be recycled, the problem I have with this is that we are adding more and more to that ever growing smelly mountain causing a major distraction from our clean air. Is it any wonder an oil refinery is proposed?? I can see behind the veil, if the country can't get its garbage situation under control, then we will just add to it. That is what I am feeling is happening here and that makes me very annoyed and disgusted to think that our country can be abused in this way.

Many have tried and failed since this time to come up with a plan to sort out the smelly garbage dump situation. It is very difficult to see that so many other unnecessary matters have taken precedent over this growing concern and again we see how nonchalant the Governments reactions are about proceeding with any formulated plans. I have to wonder what happened to the WISE plans (www.wise.ky). I went to many of their meetings and there seemed to have been some exceptional ideas and plans to bring Mt. Thrashmore down, but alas they too have gone silent. Only the website remains and nothing new added upon my last visit that would give me any semblance of hope that we have reached an agreement to resolve this once and for all.

I take it the Govt. has no plans, and this is clearly evident because if you scroll down my earlier posting on this blog regarding the 'Conservation and Environmental Laws' that have been in 'draft mode' sitting on a shelf for over a decade and has not been given the green light of approval. We have been made several promises by the current Minister, but that still does not settle with me, I can only imagine that these were all diversion tactics to silence me along with others out here to 'shut up' and go away while they consider how they will fare from this law coming online. I cannot see this government or maybe any successive governments putting this law on the books, because it is going jeopardize the progress of many developers whose only objective is to set out to destroy our environment and rape this country of what little it has left.

So on the two year anniversary of my photo of the garbage dump from my 9th floor room on the cruise ship, I am saddened that my intentions were to bring abreast the impact this is having on visitors coming to our shores, versus how lazy and environmentally reckless we are as a nation that we have turned a blind eye to this growing catastrophe for generations.

Finally, I am a realist and if I don't have hope, then I wouldn't be one. So I am optimistic that our garbage problem will be addressed and the cloud of smelly garbage that's so evident in the evenings along the 7mile strip will soon be a deterrent enough that maybe our people will take a stand and say 'enough is enough' and the government must now put aside everything else briefly and address this once and for all.

In the meantime, can you imagine what the tourist is thinking that smell is while they walk to dinner on the 7mile strip??

Almost a year later and Nothing has been done!!!!!!

On April 12th, 2011 it will be ONE YEAR since this issue was brought to light. An issue that's crippling our marine environment and nothing has been done to clean it up as yet. It's amazing that this body can ridicule the people of this great nation who shed's some light on their neglect, and still they don't do anything to fix the problem, ONE YEAR LATER!!!. I am ashamed that we have people in these positions and they are doing NOTHING to fix this problem. It's a YEAR LATER!!!!! Have you all had enough meetings yet? Or do you need to continue to have meetings with no results?? It's sad that the future generations of this country will have to swim in pollution, eat polluted fish/conch/lobster because a bunch of 'couldn't careless' individuals with the power pens in their hands to make the change happen, became complacent and did nothing to protect the environment. I am very very SAD that we have to live like this in our country and pay these individuals handsomely every month and secure their futures with astronomical pensions and perks, but yet they can't come up with a solution!! So much information is waiting out there on the internet spelled out for them to use. But will they use it or even try something?? How many more experts must we import to tell us what to do before these tough headed individuals whose sitting on their asses doing nothing about it actually get up and make the change and fix the problem??.

Here is what the news article stated:

http://www.caymannewsservice.com/science-and-nature/2010/04/15/pollution-north-sound-issue-says-wa-and-doe

This is what the link to the Water Authority website has displayed:

The Water Authority is a Govt. owned business.

Water Authority and Department of the Environment Joint Press Release Regarding Alleged Sewage Pollution in the North Sound

April 15, 2010 Contact: Dr Gelia Frederick-van Genderen -WA Phone: (345) 949-2837 Contact: Mrs Gina Ebanks-Petrie -DoE Phone: (345) 949-8469

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An email that has been widely circulated and includes photos of material floating in the North Sound has alleged that the floating material is sewage that has leaked from the Water Authority’s sewage plant on Seymour Drive, east of the George Town landfill. The email requested local Government representatives to investigate the problem before it created a health hazard. In a joint response the Water Authority and the Department of the Environment which share responsibility for protection of marine water quality have advised that what is being observed is not raw sewage but floating mats of algae (marine plants) which collect in embayments on the western side of North Sound. “The suggestion in the email that the floating matter in the Sound is sewage seeping from the Water Authority’s treatment plant is incorrect. As the system disposes highly treated effluent deep below the ground, there is no direct link between the floating matter and the treatment plant” said Dr. Gelia Frederick- van Genderen, Director of the Water Authority Cayman. The treatment plant produces a high quality effluent that is disposed in deep wells, the casings of these wells are grouted from ground level to 150 feet below the ground and effluent is discharged in the open zone of the wells, which is from 150 to 225 ft below ground level.

However, both the Water Authority and the Department of Environment confirm that, while the claim of raw sewage floating in the North Sound is false, data from their on-going water quality monitoring programme in North Sound does indicate that there are areas of concern. The joint comprehensive water quality monitoring programme which was initiated in 2003 samples thirteen locations in the North Sound eight times per year to establish long-term data to track trends and indicators of pollution. The attached photo shows the locations of the sampling points.

Overall, the results of this monitoring programme indicate that water quality in areas of North Sound not directly adjacent to land is still excellent. However, water quality in areas closer to land, especially in the western part of the Sound, show elevated levels of bacteria, nutrients (phosphates and nitrates) and chlorophyll-a. Areas where canals drain into the Sound are the most affected. It should be noted however, that even in the worst affected areas, the levels of bacteria, which are indicative of wastewater pollution, seldom exceed the international standards for bathing water.

Director of the Department of Environment, Gina Ebanks-Petrie, explained that generally in tropical marine waters where there are elevated levels of nutrients, leafy and fleshy algae normally present at low levels in the marine environment proliferate. In addition, concentrations of phytoplankton (microscopic plants) present in the water column also greatly increase, turning the water green and cloudy. When these conditions occur in North Sound they produce an imbalance in the natural systems and result in impacts that can include low oxygen levels at night and reduced sunlight for critical species such as turtle grass.

Both the Water Authority and the DoE agree that the water quality problems currently being observed in North Sound relate to the ways in which the Island has grown and developed over the last 50 years, and that it is not possible at this stage to attribute the input of pollutants to North Sound to a single source. There are several possible contributing factors which include leachate from the unlined George Town landfill, our current methods for on-site wastewater treatment and disposal, poorly planned canal developments, fertiliser-enriched run-off from golf courses and other landscaping, and inputs from recreational use of the marine environment. In addition, the large-scale removal of mangrove wetlands and seagrass systems on the western side of North Sound to accommodate development has reduced the natural capacity of the local environment to mitigate the effects of nutrient and pollutant inputs. Each of these issues has a direct or indirect impact on water quality in North Sound.

While acknowledging that it is not possible to turn back the clock, both the Water Authority and Department of Environment believe that solving this problem (and preventing similar problems in other locations) will require a concerted and collaborative effort by several government agencies and Authorities, as well as the public. Changes and improvements need to be made in the ways in which we plan future development and manage existing development, and in the systems we employ to manage the generation, collection and treatment of our collective waste.

The Water Authority and the Department of the Environment have reiterated their commitment to working towards solutions for these issues in conjunction with the policies of the Government. They believe that their joint North Sound monitoring programme has and will continue to provide valuable data to inform decisions. The Water Authority, both as a wastewater utility and through its role as a regulator of wastewater treatment and disposal continues to work on appropriate solutions. The Department of the Environment, as principal advisor to Government on environmental issues continues to advocate for sound policies that protect the fragile environment of the Cayman Islands.

Email circulated on 12 April 2010

DEAR ALL,

HERE WE GO AGAIN.

THIS MESS IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WATER AUTHORITY AND IT’S THE SEWAGE THAT’S BEING LEAKED FROM THE SEWAGE PLANT.

TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE FLOATING AROUND IN THE NORTH SOUND POLLUTING THE WATER AND HEADING OUT TO STINGRAY CITY, CORAL GARDENS AND SANDBAR WHERE NOT ONLY OUR LOCALS USE FOR FISHING ETC, BUT TOURIST USE AS WELL. I AM SURE SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THESE FLOATING BY WHILE FISHING OFF SAFE HAVEN OR AT SUCK FISH HOLE, GOLD FIELD WHITE HOLE ETC... IN THE NORTH SOUND.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES IN THE GOVERNMENT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT CLEANING THIS UP BEFORE IT BECOMES A CATASTROPHIC HEALTH HAZZARD.

KEEP MY ISLAND CLEAN & GREEN.

ADVOCATE FOR A CLEAN COUNTRY KERRY HOREK

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The Water Authority is the statutory authority responsible for the management of water and wastewater in the Cayman Islands. The Administrative Headquarters is located at 13G Red Gate Road, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Please contact 949-2837 for further information.

http://waterauthority.ky/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=301