HLSCC tests marine water quality in the absence of Charter boat activity
With ports closed and boats safely berthed, the BVI’s Ministry of Natural Resources recognized an unexpected opportunity and called upon HLSCC to create a baseline water quality profile for the BVI’s coastlines and anchorages. A study like this has never been done before and will establish reference points from which to measure future fluctuations in near-shore marine water quality.
“This is such a great opportunity for us to monitor and manage marine pollution in the future” stated Dr. Jarecki. “The data is crucial because we are losing so much essential fisheries habitat in the BVI’s near shore waters”
Pollution is just one of the “environmental drivers” that tip the ecological balance against BVI’s ailing marine habitats. Climate change, anchor damage, introduced invasive species, and intensive fishing also directly or indirectly weaken ecosystems. To make effective management decisions, the HLSCC Marine team must first provide a better understanding of the relative magnitude of each environmental driver. However, these drivers are acting all at once, their effects are cumulative, and it is very difficult to measure each of one individually.
With closed ports and a mandatory lockdown in effect for more than four weeks, one environmental driver -sewage pollution- can be studied in much greater detail than ever before.
Sewage in the sea can come from direct sewerage outfall (such as from the Slaney Pt. outfall), from cruising/charter vessel discharges, or from rainwater runoff that washes leachate from hillside septic tanks directly into the sea.
“Right now, no one is cruising the BVI and very few people are overnighting at anchor. Our normally popular moorings fields are nearly empty, so sewage discharge from boats will be minimal or absent. At the same time, typical for April, we’ve had little rain and the ghuts are dry. Sewage from hillside septics won’t, for the most part, be washing down to the sea.” stated Dr. Jarecki. “The only source of sewage in our nearshore waters right now should be from direct sewerage outfalls, and the BVI’s water should be about as clean as it gets.”
When heavy rains return, further water tests can be compared to the baseline that the team is currently creating. Measurement of the impact of hillside septics on near-shore water quality versus that which comes from direct sewage outfall will be conducted. When ports are opened and marine-based tourism resumes, another test can be done on our waters and results can be compared with the baseline profile.
“Without a baseline, we will have no way to detect where sewage pollution is coming from and how much is entering the water” Dr. Jarecki concluded.
6 Responses to “HLSCC tests marine water quality in the absence of Charter boat activity”
your statement sounds more sh&tty than the sh*t itself