SIMPSON BAY–The board of St. Maarten Pride Foundation again is questioning the filling-in of Simpson Bay Lagoon, specifically regarding Environment Minister Maurice Lake “so blatantly misinforming” the public. One of the pressing questions is: “Why was the filling-in of Simpson Bay Lagoon allowed to take place for weeks before any permits were issued?”
The foundation board also wants to know why the regulations of the permit that was “finally issued” on January 8 are not being adhered to and why the ministry is not enforcing the regulations as stipulated in that permit.
The board drew attention to Lake’s statements in December 2013 when he said everything was planned and “done by the book” with stakeholders such as Nature Foundation involved. The minister also stated: “I have given written permission and all have followed proper procedures and regulations.”
The foundation said “no public notices or press releases” about the filling-in of the lagoon had been issued by the minister or his ministry before the start of the works in early to mid-December 2013.
The foundation carried out some research and on January 8 and 9 filed at the ministry formal requests for copies of the permits and related documents issued to the airport for the filling-in of the lagoon.
The research found that, contrary to Lake’s claim in December 2013 that everything was “done by the book” and “written permission” had been granted, the permit for the filling-in of the lagoon had not been issued until January 8. “The Minister’s claim that proper procedures had been followed was therefore absolutely false.”
The permit was issued on the same day that Pride requested copies of the permit. “Was the permit only issued because Pride Foundation requested a copy of it?” the foundation asked.
The airport requested a permit granting permission for the filling-in of some 60,000 square metres of surface area. However, the permit issued by Lake’s ministry grants permission for “unknown square metres,” said the foundation.
None of the regulations stipulated in the permit issued by the ministry or recommendations listed in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are being adhered to, according to the foundation. The regulations are “being completely ignored.”
“Does the wellbeing of the Simpson Bay Lagoon ecosystem and the wellbeing of the Greater Simpson Bay area not interest the Minister?” the foundation board asked.
Pride Vice-President Rueben Thompson explained to this newspaper last night that the permit issued for the filling in of the Simpson Bay Lagoon is in reality a somewhat modified dredging permit, meaning that the recommendations weigh heavily on the dredging activities and the work being carried out by the barges and less on the actual filling-in.
“The document refers to the permit in Dutch as ‘Bagger en landaanwinningsvergunning’. Much more attention should have been paid to the consequences of and subsequently requiring mitigation measures for the filling-in of the lagoon,” he noted.
The list of requirements in the permit include requiring the deployment of silt curtains to enclose the dredging site and dredger while dredging works are in progress.
However, according to Pride, “No silt curtains have been placed around any of the dredgers present and, currently more important, no silt curtains have been placed around the area being filled-in! This leads to the moving of the fill material throughout a large portion of the Simpson Bay Lagoon, beyond the construction site, thereby covering and stifling sea-grass beds in the area.”
Another requirement is that “construction activities should not cause foam, oil, diesel, grease, litter or other objectionable matter to be present on the water within the site or dumping grounds.”
Again Pride notes that its volunteers “have recorded foam in the water surrounding the filled-in area and downstream from the fill (this is a direct result of the absence of silt-curtains/silt screens).”
To emphasise this point, Thompson quoted directly from the harbour and government commissioned study Inventory of Marine natural values in the Eastern Part of the Simpson Bay Lagoon (Ecovision, April 2010) which states: “It is recommended that silt screens be used at the construction sites in the Lagoon to prevent heavy sedimentation and prevent loss of sea-grass cover.”
“This recommendation is valid for all land-reclamation and dredging activities in the Simpson Bay Lagoon and a very similar recommendation was included in the EIA for the filling-in of the Simpson Bay Lagoon for the Airport Expansion Project. It is being ignored,” Thompson concluded.
The foundation called on the public to “actively participate” in the town hall meetings organised by Lake’s ministry in Simpson Bay. The meeting on the draft zoning plan will take place in Allen Halley Sports and Community Centre today, Tuesday. – The Daily Herald
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