What happened to the water?

[Yvonne]

There seems to be some basic confusion regarding the water and sewage issues in Negril. Contrary to some of the uninformed opinions out there, the sewage in Negril is treated by the Negril Waste Water Treatment Plant and has been since 1998. This past February there was a $278 million improvement project for the existing plant that was funded by the Government of Jamaica and the European Union.

Here are the links to some further information:

http://www.jis.gov.jm/news/116/16826?mode=redirect

http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/ja...s/18966_en.htm

http://www.water-technology.net/news/news109409.html

Thank you Rob. A tourist asked me about the water yesterday, figuring that as a long timer I'd know what the story was. I told him but he didn't want to believe me. He swore it had to have waste. I told him that if he'd looked at the water when it came in he would have seen that along w/ the discoloration, many leaves come in too, nothing more sinister.

[Lola]

Folks should read the links and make their own determinations. The content is brief, easy to read.

The 1st link is 4 sentences about the improvement project taking place in Negril, stated as being for the purpose of preserving the coastal environment and the living organisms in the sea.

The 2nd link includes information that a study in 2002 evaluating the original project (which was completed in 1998 and included a wastewater treatment plant in Ocho Rios) found deficiencies in both the collection and treatment systems of the projects, and provided recommendations for improvement. In 2005 another study was performed, some aspects of which was to determine if the findings and recommendations of the 2002 study were valid.

Here is a link from the National Water Commission's website providing more detail about the project in Negril. The Chairman of the NWC is quoted in the article, that the conditions and quality of sea water, aquatic life and sanitary conditions are expected to be improved by the project. http://www.jis.gov.jm/news/116-water...plant-underway

The 3rd link (above) is about the quality of drinking water in Jamaica, which is definitely one of the great things about vacationing in or considering a move to Jamaica.