As I have already mentioned, the current plant became operational in 1998. As Rastagirl mentioned about the cliffs, the beach properties also used spectic tanks and cesspools prior to that. For those who frequented Negril in 80's and early 90's, one of the most frequently seen trucks around town was the Elephant Cess Pool truck. They were making the rounds more than the ever popular Red Stripe truck! When I lived on the beach in the mid 90's - you would see this truck making the rounds daily. I never did envy those guys... (grin)
But the comments above do show the reason for my posting about the Negril water treatment plant. There is so much misinformation about the situation that reality is clouded behind almost believable stories. In reality, who would believe that someone without anyone seeing including scuba divers or snorkelers, would spend exorbitant amounts of money to place a pipe going a mile off shore to secretly and illegally dump their waste, when all it took was a relatively inexpensive septic system and the ever present Elephant Cess Pool truck to deal with the issue.
As for the eyewitness account of the pipes on the beach, seeing as there was no mention of what would have to have been an incredibly noticable smell, could the possible answer to this puzzle be simple drainage pipes for water from sinks at the rustic beach bars or from the hotel rain gutters that need to empty somewhere? You wouldnt want the water after a heavy rain to form puddles on your property, so a simple solution would be to have a basic drainpipe set up to focus the rain water into the sea. But this reality does get in the way of a good story...
Sometimes it helps to use simple logic and common sense when dealing with things in Negril. They are often simply as they appear... no secrets, nothing hidden, just simple logic...
