The place were raw sewage went into the Simpson Bay Lagoon. Photo courtesy Nature Foundation
GREAT BAY- The St. Maarten Nature Foundation responded to a recent incident of constant pumping of sewage from the vicinity of Paradise Plaza into the Simpson Bay Lagoon in the area of Pineapple Pete/ Rhino Safaris. The Nature Foundation and the Coast Guard were able to establish that a significant amount of sewage was being pumped into the area from the vicinity of Paradise Plaza at a large volume for approximately four hours. Witnesses also reported that the pumping of raw sewage into that area has been happening quite frequently.
The Nature Foundation made a report of the incident including a wide-scale water quality testing of the contaminated water and has sent the information to the authorities for follow-up; “This again is an incident of a situation which should not occur here on the island,” the foundation’s manager Tadzio Bervoet said. “If there is a sewage holding tank it should be pumped out regularly by septic trucks and it should not be common practice to empty tanks out into the Simpson Bay Lagoon. Raw sewage causes a significant health risk not only for the environment but also for the businesses, including restaurants and other areas that are essential to our economy. We have sent our information to the authorities and hope that the necessary follow-up is conducted.”
The recent incident came just days after an incident of sewage being pumped out at the Simpson Bay Yacht Club; the introduction of untreated sewage has dangerous health consequences for the population and has the ability to cause serious infections and gastro-intestinal diseases.
A video of the raw sewage being pumped into the Simpson Bay Lagoon can be viewed on the Nature Foundation Facebook Page.
Raw sewage pumped into Simpson Bay Lagoon
