Water discolored

[kylake]

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.

Thanks Rob, for links to the different departments in Jamaica for handling water resources. I did mean to circle back on this much sooner when it was actually happening but life got busy and before responding I wanted to thoroughly read the links and embedded links you provided.

In the first link (NWC) I can see a brief mission and that the closest office to Negril is in Sav with the western division office in Mobay. I can also see what is stated they test for but with no mention of how often, nor any public notices of test results from such testing.

In the second link (WRA) a brief mission statement in the water quality management section there is an embedded link for Groundwater Pollution Risk Mapping
http://www.wra.gov.jm/dynaweb.dti?dy...apage=riskmaps
Currently though the map is incomplete (their statement) and appears to be just Kingston area currently.
Again it may be there but I saw no links pertaining to how often, nor any public notices from test results. I do know rjonsun has first hand information on test schedule at the plant and I do not dispute anything he found out first hand.

On the NEPA link I see a nice mission statement, State of the Environment Report (2010). Media releases for 2013 are probably the most interesting pertaining to the subject of this thread with expanded enforcement funded in part by TEF (Tourism Enhancement Fund).
Westmorland had 96 enforcement actions taken which was almost triple of other parishes other than St. Andrew that had 120 but no mention of what the actions were about or who they were served on or what resolution was obtained. Unfortunately there is no mention of exactly how the TEF funding is being used for water quality testing or results and schedules for testing or where/when they are done. At least I was not able to find them listed and again I do not dispute what rjonsun found out about testing at one specific site the treatment plant.

Last link was from 2009 for proposed standards to be followed.

The only reason I ever brought this up was for the same assumed reason of the taxi threads, concern for health and safety of tourist.

Without documented test results and public notices I have to say when the river overspills and the water looks tannic (but could easily contain fecal or other unsafe matter because of many reasons including a sewage treatment plant upstream) I would personally stay out of the water if nothing more than erring on the side of caution.
Also testing at the plant is fine but testing where the river discharges into the sea would be of more value in determining any possible unsafe contamination that might pose a health risk to swimmers. Seems like the TEF money could be well spent doing so, if the TEF mission is to promote and protect tourist and at the same time protecting the Jamaican families that live there.

Of course this can happen anywhere not just Jamaica and Negril specifically. I read in the news that because of the heavy rain this weekend and the expected runoff they are warning people in certain areas of California to stay out of the ocean because of possible contamination. The difference is the officials there are publicly warning caution.
I don’t live in Negril and you and other members of this board do. If testing at the river discharge into the sea and public notices are being done then I stand corrected.

[Rob]

...Of course this can happen anywhere not just Jamaica and Negril specifically. I read in the news that because of the heavy rain this weekend and the expected runoff they are warning people in certain areas of California to stay out of the ocean because of possible contamination. The difference is the officials there are publicly warning caution.
I don’t live in Negril and you and other members of this board do. If testing at the river discharge into the sea and public notices are being done then I stand corrected.

Kylake,

Of course it happens in every single place where water runs into the river and then the river runs into the sea. It is how nature works. And your California comparison is insulting to Jamaica. "The difference is"? What difference?

As for the testing, yes you do stand corrected. As has been stated multiple times now in this thread, testing is being done by multiple agencies including the local NEPT organization. In your post you stated that testing is being done as rjonsun has stated.

And when there is a problem, public notices are made - so you stand corrected there as well. Actually living here lets us be aware of these warnings, but they occur very rarely and only after such events as major tropical storms and hurricanes. The water plant was designed to even handle events such as tropical storms and hurricanes. It was designed with help and support from USAID and the European Union.

A little more than average rainfall is nothing. All that does is help to keep the water treatment plant from facing drought conditions.

If you are truly interested, I posted those links so you can contact the professionals directly to end your worry and speculation about nothing.

[kylake]

Kylake,

Of course it happens in every single place where water runs into the river and then the river runs into the sea. It is how nature works. And your California comparison is insulting to Jamaica. "The difference is"? What difference?

And when there is a problem, public notices are made - so you stand corrected there as well.

I didn't mean to offend and if anyone had knowledge of public notices it would be you. I never saw any mention of public notices "being made" in the past in this entire thread unless I missed it. Also I have not read any statement (unless I missed it) where the testing is done at the river discharge. Is it?

[lee]

I would like to pipe in here, I have been coming to Negril since 1989. In 2007 I began coming about 3-4 times a year. I never saw this brown water at any time until 2 -3 years ago when it happened 2 or 3 times each week I was there every visit. My observation therefore is it would seem brown water floating into the beach area has nothing to do with heavy rain.

Thanks Rob, for links to the different departments in Jamaica for handling water resources. I did mean to circle back on this much sooner when it was actually happening but life got busy and before responding I wanted to thoroughly read the links and embedded links you provided.

In the first link (NWC) I can see a brief mission and that the closest office to Negril is in Sav with the western division office in Mobay. I can also see what is stated they test for but with no mention of how often, nor any public notices of test results from such testing.

In the second link (WRA) a brief mission statement in the water quality management section there is an embedded link for Groundwater Pollution Risk Mapping
http://www.wra.gov.jm/dynaweb.dti?dy...apage=riskmaps
Currently though the map is incomplete (their statement) and appears to be just Kingston area currently.
Again it may be there but I saw no links pertaining to how often, nor any public notices from test results. I do know rjonsun has first hand information on test schedule at the plant and I do not dispute anything he found out first hand.

On the NEPA link I see a nice mission statement, State of the Environment Report (2010). Media releases for 2013 are probably the most interesting pertaining to the subject of this thread with expanded enforcement funded in part by TEF (Tourism Enhancement Fund).
Westmorland had 96 enforcement actions taken which was almost triple of other parishes other than St. Andrew that had 120 but no mention of what the actions were about or who they were served on or what resolution was obtained. Unfortunately there is no mention of exactly how the TEF funding is being used for water quality testing or results and schedules for testing or where/when they are done. At least I was not able to find them listed and again I do not dispute what rjonsun found out about testing at one specific site the treatment plant.

Last link was from 2009 for proposed standards to be followed.

The only reason I ever brought this up was for the same assumed reason of the taxi threads, concern for health and safety of tourist.

Without documented test results and public notices I have to say when the river overspills and the water looks tannic (but could easily contain fecal or other unsafe matter because of many reasons including a sewage treatment plant upstream) I would personally stay out of the water if nothing more than erring on the side of caution.
Also testing at the plant is fine but testing where the river discharges into the sea would be of more value in determining any possible unsafe contamination that might pose a health risk to swimmers. Seems like the TEF money could be well spent doing so, if the TEF mission is to promote and protect tourist and at the same time protecting the Jamaican families that live there.

Of course this can happen anywhere not just Jamaica and Negril specifically. I read in the news that because of the heavy rain this weekend and the expected runoff they are warning people in certain areas of California to stay out of the ocean because of possible contamination. The difference is the officials there are publicly warning caution.
I don’t live in Negril and you and other members of this board do. If testing at the river discharge into the sea and public notices are being done then I stand corrected.