BEST Chairman Comments On Beach Advisory

April 2, 2014

bermuda beach generic 2312“The best we can hope for is rapid movement to further improve the way we handle sewage, followed by some reflection of that improvement in an updated message from the Consul General to his fellow Americans,” BEST Chairman Stuart Hayward said following the recent advisory about our beaches.

On Monday [Mar 31] the U.S. Consulate in Bermuda issued a “Security Message” entitled “Contaminated Beaches” citing the “ongoing dumping of raw sewage off Bermuda’s south coast.”

The advisory from the U.S. Consulate added that “In 2013, as many as five of the beaches were described as ‘unfit for recreational use’ on different occasions based on water samples.”

Following that advisory, the Ministry of Health & Environment said they wished to “strongly reassure residents and visitors that our beaches are safe for swimming and recreational use.”

The Ministry said Environmental Health “closely monitors Bermuda’s beaches and takes water samples for bathing water quality twice each week at major bathing beaches and in the vicinity of the Hungry Bay sewage outfall at Hungry Bay and Grape Bay. The results of these samples continue to meet the US standards for acceptable bathing water quality.”

The statement from the Ministry added: “While we understand the US Consulate desires to protect its citizens we have to reiterate that bathing in Bermuda’s waters does not pose a health issue”.

In response, BEST Chairman Stuart Hayward said, “This is a situation where we are caught between the Devil and the deep blue sea, somewhat literally. The weather conditions that lead to the worst occurrences of pollution from the Seabright outfall are not common.

“To the best of my knowledge, sewage-related diseases have occurred here rarely, if ever. Still, we are the most densely populated oceanic island on the planet. Managing our waste isn’t easy and it isn’t going to get any easier.

“What can we do? Sure we could wish that the message had been a little softer, a little kinder. We could also wish that our waste policy-makers had done a little more, a little sooner. But we can’t make the results of the study disappear. Neither can we fault the US Consul’s discharge of his duty to his homeland’s citizens.

“The best we can hope for is rapid movement to further improve the way we handle sewage, followed by some reflection of that improvement in an updated message from the Consul General to his fellow Americans.

“Meanwhile we need to give far more attention to Bermuda’s carrying capacity: How many people can fit on this Island without making it an unhealthy place to live, and visit,” added Mr. Hayward.

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Category: All, Environment, News

Comments (11)

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  1. Paradise Reclaimed says:

    Action, please. Thanks!

    • LMAO2 says:

      All I have to say is this:

      MR. HAYWARD IS SELECTIVE IN HIS STANCE ON THE ENVIRONMENT!

      He seems to many only to be representing, some special interest. Take for instance we signed petition on gambling he came out initially and we have only heard from J. Starling, where are the others and when is the petition going to be presented?

      Mr. Hayward needs to get some $alls.

      • George Harrison says:

        Maybe you have a set you can lend him? It sounds like your’s are not being put to very good use, considering the accusatory tone of your post!

    • non political says:

      Outrageous from HAyward

      As the arm of our environmental body to make such a weak statement he is obviously in not showing the right representation. He seems to be too afraid to hold this government accountable. He is losing support and respectability. He can’t serve two masters.

  2. Coffee says:

    “Meanwhile we need to give far more attention to Bermuda’s carrying capacity: How many people can fit on this Island without making it an unhealthy place to live, and visit,” added Mr. Hayward.
    But , but Bob Richards insist that we need thousands more people to take us out of the $h!* ! However , Mr.Hayward posited the position of the U.S counsel as being too hard on Bermuda . I ask you , is there a difference between hard $&it and soft $&it !

  3. King QCK says:

    There were,operative being (were), numerous outlets all around Bermuda. What’s funny is that most have been replaced by holes sunk 125+ Feet into which said s&&$ is drained. Why is it that with only those two main lines left this all of a sudden makes front page. Some s$$& I say!!! SMH

  4. Tony Brannon says:

    APRIL is ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS MONTH.

    Bermuda needs to know there are other sinister forces at work in Bermuda polluting our farms, bees, tree frogs, toads, lizards, birds and HUMANS.

    Monsanto produce ROUNDUP which causes cancer. Roundup is used island wide and should be BANNED. Pesticides in general need to be looked at with a serious critical eye.

    ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS.

    We have all heard about the chronic decline of the BEE colonies in Bermuda. We have all heard about the tree frogs disappearing in Bermuda. The crops in Bermuda are being sprayed with Roundup – a cancer causing agent that also pollutes the seas and damages the coral reefs.

    It is time that Bermuda said NO to pollution. NO to disposable plastics. NO to ROUNDUP. NO to dumping sewage in the ocean.

    POLLUTION
    So we have The Bees under threat, the Tree Frogs under threat, The Lion Fish are here, RoundUp sprayed at almost ALL the local farms thereby increasing cancer in Bermuda……
    LION FISH threat
    http://edition.cnn.com/…/lionfish-infestation-atlantic…/
    ROUNDUP
    http://www.nationofchange.org/new-study-finds-roundup
    LINK to CANCER
    http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/roundup.cfm
    ROUNDUP threatens CORAL REEFS
    http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_29214.cfm

    • sage says:

      Roundup definitely needs to be banned immediately, it is detectable in a large percentage of groundwater and even rain samples in the US, that stuff is bad news.

  5. Former Union Member says:

    Bermuda does need to improve its policy and infrastructure in this area. No question. The US Consul has been here long enough to realize this situation is ongoing and seldom ‘that’ critical to require an official notice such as the one he made. As a US citizen I would ask him to think twice the next time. Try and HELP the US citizens who call Bermuda our home rather than issuing statements because he has nothing better to do.

  6. Keepin' it Real...4Real! says:

    tony …ur 100% correct about monsanto and its deviant agenda, next i would like to know where did the us counsel get this information before we did?? in other words who informed them before he informed us..?

  7. I know what we can do!….Let us do what others do….we form a fertiliser llc company and chemically process our waste like they do at Southampton Princess.We should take the process one step further and process it to fertiliser…bag it and sell it to farmers and hardware stores in the continental united states as they dot at lowes and home depot….we could export worldwide…forget onions…forget lilies….also we could squat some out utilising sqatters with significant squatting abilities to form swirls offit,then we could freeze dry it aand shellac it…put two rolling eyes fro gibbons company sowing dept.on each and every one and sell them as pet poops….or Bermuda pet poop.