Waste water reduction goals not met

A problem with waste water discharge from the Cayman Turtle Farm first identified by the complaints commissioner’s office three years ago has still not been resolved, according to an audit completed on the tourism facility last week.

However, the Turtle Farm Managing Director Tim Adam said Wednesday the facility is working with the Water Authority-Cayman to constantly monitor waste discharge from the facility.

“We know what’s going into the water,” said Mr. Adam. “What the monitoring does is put precise measurements on it.”

A two-year discharge permit granted to the facility on 1 October, 2008, expired late last year without the Turtle Farm meeting effluent discharge reduction goals that were a condition of the permit being granted.

“The two-year permit… required the [Turtle Farm] to reduce its effluent discharge by 50 per cent by 1 July, 2009,” the audit stated. “Through the date that these financial statements … the company has not met the 50 per cent reduction criteria.”

Effluent is the word used to describe the total of the discharge that flows from the Turtle Farm property into the surrounding sea, whether liquid or solid. It includes things like waste water, normal water, food and even particulate matter such as soil and dust.

A June 2008 report from then-Complaints Commissioner John Epp revealed that the Turtle Farm had not obtained a waste discharge licence from the Water Authority-Cayman despite the fact two of its senior management acknowledged they knew a permit was required.

“It is argued that effluent … may have interfered with the attractiveness to the water tourism industry of Cayman’s well-known surrounding reefs and contributed to the reduction in the production of beach sand,” Mr. Epp’s report read.

The report also cited anecdotal observations by the Department of Environment of a stunting of coral growth in the immediate area surrounding the West Bay facility, although it said no recent environmental study had been done to quantify the effects of the effluent discharge.

In June of this year, Water Authority Director Gelia Frederick-van Genderen issued a statement saying the Turtle Farm had applied for an extension of its marine discharge permit.

“The Water Authority, for the time being, has agreed [the Turtle Farm] can continue to operate under their permit,” she said. “In the meantime, the authority considers a new permit.”

Mr. Adam said he was confident a new permit would be granted in due time. The Turtle Farm audit said cost constraints were keeping the facility from making the investment needed to install the appropriate system.

“It’s not only funding, but [installing such a system] just wouldn’t be practical,” he said.

Turtle Farm management determined that the system proposed by an external consultant would not be appropriate.

“It’s anticipated adverse impact on air quality in the community would, in all likelihood, be much more noticeable and objectionable than the status quo, which has been running for several years without significant adverse community reaction,” according to the audit.