Water discolored

[Rob]

As rjonsun stated, the water is tested weekly by regulators that come from Montego Bay. According to the NWC (National Water Commission):

"Our Regulators

In addition to the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change and the provisions of the NWC Act, the National Water Commission is regulated in different areas and to different degrees by a number of different entities.

The island's surface and sub-surface water resources are regulated by the Water Resources Authority (WRA) which is the agency established by statute for this purpose. Other bodies that regulate the NWC are the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), the Ministry of Health, National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Jamaica Bureau of Standards, the Ministry of Labour, and the Factories Act."

http://www.nwcjamaica.com/REGULATORS.asp

Here is the link to the Water Resource Authority:

http://www.wra.gov.jm/

And here is the link to the NEPA site:

http://www.nepa.gov.jm/

And their link to their marine (sea) water standards:

http://www.nepa.gov.jm/standards/wat...ard_marine.pdf

If you check out these sites as well as the others listed in Our Regulators section of the National Water Commission, you will see that there are many regulations, standards and guidelines that must be followed.

And other than the very few properties that still use a septic tank system (the old Elephant Cesspool trucks that were seen daily are a thing of the past), all the resorts and hotels are connected to the new sewage system.

[Kiknback]

It is not uncommon for beaches in the US or elsewhere to be closed for swimming if conditions of any kind pose a hygienic or safety danger to the public.

Is anyone doing this?? Do they come from Mobay and do testing and post a public notice?

Until I hear about something like this being done I am treating everything I hear from both sides as pure rumor.

[STRIPER]

Flip you are killing me!its a good thing to laugh out loud

[frankk]

Thank you, Rob. I am glad to see they do this right in Jamaica.

[Accompong]

https://www.facebook.com/notes/on-th...21708444539050

A likkle update from the Government.

Thought you might like to read this.

Peace and Guidance

[Marko]

nuthin new...water run off the morass...same thingy as mi saw back in the 80's....
wi have had some seagrass in da wata on da Cliffs of late......nuthin new there as well....
when wi get some good showers.....this all can be expected......
swimming as of yesterday was excellent here on da Cliffs and da Beach...

Cool Runnings, Marko

[Rob]

The press release from 2012 by the NWC that Accompong posted does come down hard on NEPA for having no scientific basis for their 2012 claims, and that they were ignoring other and obvious causes such as the mouth of the river being virtually blocked:

"The National Water Commission also wishes to point out that the Negril Wastewater Treatment Ponds were recently rehabilitated and are now, based both on the empirical scientific data and easily observable aesthetic presentations, operating at a much improved level. Our preliminary analysis of the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) from discharged effluent from the ponds indicates that the ponds are not contributing negatively to the health of the river.

In fact, while NEPA has provided no scientific basis for its allegation, the ponds are teeming with a large, healthy fish population, a normal biological indicator of the health of a pond. NWC's on-going monitoring over the past month also shows no evidence of untreated sewage being discharged into the South Negril River from the wastewater ponds.

Furthermore, it would appear from the statement issued by NEPA that no other possible cause of pollution has been or is being considered even in the face of clear evidence that many other activities in the area impact the river and that the virtual blockage of the mouth of the river could also contribute to poor water quality."


But to be fair to NEPA, the organization did not have adequate resources back in 2012 and has received additional funding in November of last year for more monitor and testing:

"Peter Knight, Chief Executive Officer at NEPA, said that the Agency welcomes the injection of funding from TEF to address the planning and environmental problems in the resort town.

The funds, he noted, will allow the Agency to deploy three additional enforcement officers who will: monitor facilities with environmental permits and licenses issued by the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) and enforce regulations under the Wild Life Protection Act.

“The enforcement officers will also enforce the Negril Marine Park Regulations; investigate planning breaches; monitor compliance with planning approvals and monitor environmental incidents which may occur within the Negril Environmental Protection Area,” he said."

http://www.nepa.gov.jm/newscenter/Pr..._in_Negril.asp


So the facts point out that there is more monitoring going on now than ever before and that if there was a breach, the many and varied Jamaican news organizations would be sure to hear and report about it. That is what they do, report the news, actual news. And since government organizations are required to make reports, reporters do have access to this information.

As I have said before, it is impossible to hide real news and even fake news in this day with speed at which information travels because of the internet. But facts are still facts, and if there was a real problem, there would be no way to hide it.

But when the only "proof" of a current event is a 2 year old video and the confusion of taking two separate events and drawing a false conclusion from 2 years ago, it becomes quite obvious that there is no real problem. Why is there no credible news service anywhere reporting on this if it was true? But I guess conspiracy theorists have the answer to that one... (grin)

What happened was just a common, extremely natural occurrence of the rain water coming down the hills and running into a river that flows into the sea as it has done for millennia and will continue to do in the future. It is how how nature works...

[TizzyATX]

Jackie and I didn't know there was a toilet at sunny side until this most recent trip.

Really?! That's probly my most used toilet in Negril

[Flipadelphia26]

Really?! That's probly my most used toilet in Negril

usually just "Went for a swim"

[TizzyATX]

Not me, no way, water is TOO clear!!