What happened to the water?

[Maryann]

Lol, Smith! You're back! Very interesting.

[smith744]

You took that seriously... !

Of Course, my-yute..!!..
..took it VERY-seriously
:-(

the fact of the matter is,
after receive-ing that piece of info,
..and after seeing with my own-2-eye-balls
...the pipes buried in the beachfront sand
.....running out to the sea
......at that property AND other beachfront properties
............i haven't gotten in that water since
....especially, since i LOVE to swim
......with my mouth open
:-(
Nope..!!..
..can't dew-wheat


dunno if dem buried-pipes
.are taking stuff into the sea
..or sucking stuff out of the sea (which is doubt-full)

however, once in a blue-moon, i will get in the water at Ricks
..and float-float around (a likkle)

plus, mi-personally,
..have other *issues* with that beachfront water, too

e.g., my Lucea-landlord
who use-to work in the watersports departments
@ Poinciana (now BeachesSandyBay) and Sandles
has told me *stories* about how sometimes
he '.dread.' having to go in the water to pull-out a guest
he-SAY::>> "..Bill,,that water will bump-you-up.."

and/or

e.g., every-time(s) i ask somebodys
about the sewage/plumb-ing set-ups in Negril along that beachfront
i get blank-looks (i.e., like deer caught in headlights)
....dem no wanna chat about the *issue*

:-(

mi-think, perhaps, maybe
i need to talk & inquire with a Negril-plumber(s), eh
for the real-deal 411 on this *issue*

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....
speaking of plumber(s)
...in my limited experience
....i don't re-call seeing or hear-ing much
....about Jamaica/Negril plumbers

anybodys know anyting about Ja-plumber.??
..a plumber association
....a plumber union
???

oh well
lemme stop
mi chat too much na tru

[Rob]

Smith,

What are you smoking man?

What you are suggesting is against the law since there has been running water and anyone who would try to do such a thing would have their business closed immediately, they would be arrested and fined. No one wants that pure nonsense happening. Quite the imagination man...

Could it be possible that when you asked about the sewage/plumbing in Negril and you got the "deer in the headlights" look, maybe you are asking people who simply dont know? I would suspect that most people in most cities would not be able to tell you much about how their city sewage/plumbing actually operates. They might have some guesses and ideas, but how many would truly be able to answer that question in any real firsthand knowledgeable way?

I do agree with you that maybe you actually ask a Jamaican plumber about the issue. Nothing wrong with asking someone who may actually know if you really want to find out something. Since you are having difficulty finding a plumber, I thought I would help you out. Here are the names and numbers of a few contractors:

A 1 Plumbing & Maintainence Services Ltd. 46 Tower St., , Jamaica - (876) 922-1194
Alexander Harvel 22 Slipe Rd. (5), , Jamaica - (876) 968-2382
Allen's Plumbing 4 Brigade Cres, Mdvl, Jamaica - 962-6637
Anglin Lloyd Smithfield, Svlm, Jamaica - 918-1629
Brown's Willy Plumbing Service & Industry 35 Charles St., , Jamaica - (876) 922-8248
Bryan William J 14 Wailers Ave. (20), , Jamaica - (876) 933-6873
C M J Services Ltd. 7 Savoy Ave. (10), , Jamaica - (876) 925-4540
CARLRAC Services Ltd. 11 Cranbourne Ave. (10), , Jamaica - (876) 929-5298
Campbell Carolyn Lot 5 3E Greater Portmore Brae, , Jamaica - 989-6601
Cocking's Peerless Plumbing Establishment 16 Slipe Rd. (5), , Jamaica - (876) 926-6215
Cocking's Plumbing & Construction 33 Lyndhurst Rd., Kingston, Jamaica - (876) 754-6821
Cribb Wesley A 8 Park Lane (19), , Jamaica - (876) 931-9208
Dac's Moulded Products Ltd. 45 Mannings Hill Rd. (8), , Jamaica - (876) 931-0339
Dyke's Amalgamated Plumbing & Drafting Lot 400 Kintyre (7), , Jamaica - (876) 702-3908
Electrical Eng & Plbg Setrvs Ltd 32 Red Hills Rd Kgn 10, , Jamaica - 926-1941
Electricial Engineering & Plumbing Services Ltd. 118 Red Hills Rd. (19), , Jamaica - (876) 925-8762
Express Plumbing Shop 1 2 Cassia Park Rd., Kingston, Jamaica - (876) 923-7719
Face Plumbing Service 31 Mannings Hill Rd. (8), , Jamaica - (876) 924-5466
George's Plbg Serv 52 Hart St, MoBy, Jamaica - 952-2530
Hamilton Trevor 1A Gretna Green Ave. (11), , Jamaica - (876) 923-6902
Home & Commercial Co. Ltd. 51 Hope Rd. (10), , Jamaica - (876) 927-7502
Hylton's Plumbing Welding & Solar Heaters Ltd 6 Princess St, MoBy, Jamaica - 952-4504
Islandwide Building Maintainence & Appliance Parts Co. Ltd. 36 Molynes Rd. (10), , Jamaica - (876) 923-9424
Jones & Son Plumbing Service 12 Sandringham Ave. (10), , Jamaica - (876) 968-8675
Kirlew Earl L 92 Chisholm Ave. (13), , Jamaica - (876) 937-3248
Latty's Plumbing Service Ltd. 49 Lyndhurst Rd. (5), , Jamaica - (876) 926-5324
Lawes B 34 Smith Lane, Kingston, Jamaica - (876) 922-3040
Lawrence Aston W 52 Hart St, Montego Bay, Jamaica - 952-2530
Lifetime Plumbing Sales & Services Lot 303 5 Logwood Pl, Ptmr, Jamaica - 989-1737
Lindsay Lloyd G Shop 19 56D Brentford Rd. (5), , Jamaica - (876) 929-7929
Lloyd Bailey Co Ltd 2b Retirement Cres Kgn 5, , Jamaica - 929-3517
Lovejoy Michael 2 Retirement Crescent (5), , Jamaica - (876) 960-4803
M & M Modern Sewer & Drain Cleaning Service 19 Methven Rd., , Jamaica - (876) 974-3032
M & M Modern Sewer & Drain Serv Main St, RnBy, Jamaica - 973-7364
Master Plumber Sales Serv & Hdw Supplies 4 McCatty St, MoBy, Jamaica - 952-0001
May Gaford R 109 Waltham Park Rd. (10), , Jamaica - (876) 901-3616
Mechanical Services Ltd. Shop 125 Princeville Commercial Centre (10), , Jamaica - (876) 969-6226
Modern Plumbing & Maintainence Service 34 Grants Pen Rd. (8), , Jamaica - (876) 941-7311
Multi - Skill Plumbing Servs Ltd Sterling Castle Sq, RoHl, Jamaica - 944-3471
Multi-Plastics Ltd. 2 Hlaf Elgin Rd. (5), , Jamaica - (876) 968-6657
Multi-Skill Plumbing Services Ltd. 8 Queensbury Ave. (11), , Jamaica - (876) 923-3054
Neil Stenton W 62B Mannings Hill Rd. (8), , Jamaica - (876) 931-5889
Neil's Plumbing Service Ltd. 6 Carter Ave. (10), , Jamaica - (876) 926-8275
Neils S W Plumbing Sales & Services Ltd. 29 Mannings Hill Rd. (8), , Jamaica - (876) 925-5692
Newland Plumbing Services 45 Zaidie Ave. (20), , Jamaica - (876) 931-7284
One Stop Plumbing Sales & Services Co. Ltd. 1A Gretna Green Ave. (11), , Jamaica - (876) 923-6902
P R Plumbing Service 21 Maverley Ave. (10), , Jamaica - (876) 968-6512
Paul's Plumbing & Technical Services Ltd 51 Hagley Pk Rd Kgn 10, , Jamaica - 906-8170
Paul's Plumbing Specialist 4 Ward Close (8), , Jamaica - (876) 969-3933
Plumbing Repairs & Maintainence Services 1823 Waterford Parkway, Portmore, Jamaica - (876) 988-9638
Plumbrite Sales & Service Ltd. 159B Orange St., Kingston, Jamaica - (876) 922-0330
Powell's Plumbing Service 6 Ashley Rd. (13), , Jamaica - (876) 923-6162
Professional Plumbing Service 255 Red Hills Rd. (19), , Jamaica - (876) 944-0771
Raoche Plumbing Works 9 Cumberland Ave. (16), , Jamaica - (876) 928-3557
Reliable Plumbing Service 85A Windward Rd. (2), , Jamaica - (876) 928-2061
Reliable Plumbing Service 18 Reel Ave. (17), , Jamaica - (876) 938-5282
Salmon Calbert W 29 Eden Ave. (13), , Jamaica - (876) 960-3403
Shortwood Plumbing Supplies 28 Grants Point Rd. (8), , Jamaica - (876) 925-2639
Smith Lloyd 54 Waltham Park Rd. (11), , Jamaica - (876) 923-4334
Stanbury Rupert G Ltd. 1 Sutphin Place (10), , Jamaica - (876) 923-6782
Stephen's Plumbing Serv & Cesspool Emptier Ltd , , Jamaica - 925-7232
Stephen's Plumbing Service 1 West Ave. (4), , Jamaica - (876) 967-3220
Sunrise Plumbing Services 107A Red Hills Rd. (19), , Jamaica - (876) 969-9968
Swaby Plumbing & Painting 97 Barbican Rd. (6), , Jamaica - (876) 927-6645
Taffe's Plumbing Service 63 Wailers Ave. (20), , Jamaica - (876) 933-7100
Unity Plumbing Replacement Parts Co. Ltd. 8 Half Pechon St., , Jamaica - (876) 922-9342
Unity Plumbing Replacement Parts Co. Ltd. 79 Harbour St., , Jamaica - (876) 967-3715
Walker's Plbg Serv Lot 305 Catherine Mt, MoBy, Jamaica - 952-3006
Woods Plumbing Service 114 Waltham Park Rd. (10), , Jamaica - (876) 923-9055

Have fun Smith!

[Ras Walleye]

We can always count on Rob to give us the straight poop! :-)

[RockRobster]

LMAO Ras! The beach is Negril's draw, you don't think they'd poop in their goldmine, do you? I did have a local tell me that they won't swim in the ocean when the brown water hits "If you get in you will itch all over, mon". The bummer for us was we moved from Xtabi to Kuyaba for the last day so we could enjoy the beach before returning home! No such luck with the brown water present, but we made do....

[smith744]

* sigh *
why why WHY
..do i feel like Roy Scheider
...who played the police-chief in the movie '.Jaws.'
..??...
..when he chat-to the city-officials
about the shark

anyhoooooo.....

this discussion reminds me
of when I moved to Chicago
...on the lake-front
...and would splish-splash in LakeMichigan
...like everybody else

UNTIL Chicago boss-man
issued a *warning* one hot Summer weekend
that the pollution-levels were too(?) high
and folks shouldn't get in the lake

that was that,
and i never got in LakeMichigan again either/neither

nevertheless, that's a helpful Ja-plumber list
..but no 957-telephone extensions (for Negril)
..no biggie::: they *probably* all got cell-phones
...i'll ask around when on my August-trip

btw ~~ i still wish somebody(s) would tell me
what dem pipes are for/doing
that i saw buried under the beachfront sand
running out-to/from the sea

oh,
and one more likkle thing-y

ONCE upon a time,
the day after hurricane-Ivan,
as i walked the Negril beach-front

i was *amazed* at the debris
that had been regurgitated from the sea-bed
and deposited on the shoreline

I *think* Ivan hit in September
..and there was debris that looked like
..it was from Spring-break
.....lots of those funny-looking tall plastic drinking cups
.......and a bunch of other trash
.........'twas really bad around the Margeritaville(sp?) section of the beachfront

[smith744]

Smith,

Have fun Smith!

every-time
all-the-time
guaranteed, Sir

:-)

[rastagirl777]

The sewage and water treatment plants were built in Negril around 1998/1999 as I recall. Where the poop went before that...dunno. I know that the cliff properties relied on septic tanks/cess pools, or so I've been told. Can't speak about the beach. I'd heard rumours of "stuff" being pumped out a mile off shore.

Believe me though, if you were swimming in poop water you'd know. Cholera anyone?

[Rob]

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...

[rjonsun]

I have over 20 years of experience in the wastewater field in the United States. I recently toured the Negril Wastewater Treatment Plant, talked to some of the employees, took photos, watched some of the construction and observed the effluent into the Negril River. The "tea" colored water is not coming from the Treatment Plant, plain and simple. In my opinion there is a possibility of contamination during very heavy rains, but the new construction should alleviate that problem. Analysis of the Treatment Plant effluent needs to be preformed by an independent lab to determine removal rates and other effluent results. Only after carefully reviewing the information can any further recommendations be made.

Regards,

Bob