The Coral Bay Watershed Management Project: A Community in Action - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Coral Bay Watershed Management Project: A Community in Action for a Sustainable Future Presented by Sharon L. Coldren, President, Coral Bay Community Council EXCERPTS FROM 2009 CWWA WATER RESOURCES CONFERENCE PRESENTATION

Coral Bay Community Council, Inc.  Nongovernmental Organization – NGO --501(c)3  6 years old, 200+ members provide financial support, volunteer  Remote 3,000-acre steep hills watershed  Background: Lack of govt. knowledge, under the radar, little regulatory protection  Need for local resource with voice

Planning Concerns  Natural beauty  Stormwater sediment control  Wastewater management  Potable water (RO)  Solid waste management  Transportation and other infrastructure  Social/community development  Appropriate economic development

Water-Related Environmental Concerns Raised by Development Activity  Sedimentation Runoff into Ocean  Potable water – Reverse osmosis  Waste Water Mgt  Dredging for marina, boats  Flooding due to earth change  Endangered species

Desalination: Environmental Consequences What are Risks? In a Nursery Bay Habitat…. Sucking up larvae of random species into the intake and killing them

Desalination: Environmental Consequences  Increasing the brine concentrations in poorly circulating sea water, leading to:  Harming sea grass beds – Endangered species sea turtles critical habitat  Harming Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)  Harming Coral Reefs, including Endangered Acropora species in shallow water

Desalination: Environmental Consequences  Poor Circulation?  Environmental Impact statement must be based on least current, least circulation – since these will happen occasionally and concentrations of brine would rise and be entrapped in bay.

Desalination  How far out into the ocean would intake and out-take pipes need to go to be safe?  Probably farther than economically attractive  What kind of production/population use would be necessary to payback?  Balance of values?

Ground Water Resources  largely ignored in recent years…  Wells not tracked, not being dug  New interest in injection wells near ocean to replace desal. Is this safe?

Ground Water Resources  Could stormwater management efforts lead to intentionally “charging” ground water areas?  Could we have more available ground water?  Visiting hydrologist says “Yes”

Surface Water Collection  Utilize natural gut flow concentrations  Store water in ponds  What usable water volumes/capacity could be created?  Issues? Economics?

Potable Water  Which of these technologies/solutions will have the least negative impact on our environment and ecosystems?  Which will be the most cost-effective source(s) of potable water?

Conclusions:  These are the issues of a small community --like many in the Caribbean.  We need to plan for safe/appropriate drinking water and wastewater options for the future. We need to understand the practical capacity of remoter island watersheds/communities to have self- sufficient “modern public infrastructure” solutions – and look to new and old technologies and ideas, to allow the needed balance between environmental protection and humanhabitation.

Planning  These are some of the questions that need to be addressed to determine the best public policy to assure that feasible, safe and appropriate water and wastewater infrastructure are PLANNED in advance,  Dreams of future economic development need to be scoped within this sustainable resource plan, and PAY for the plan’s implementation up front – as they do in many areas of the U. S., with impact fees that may be as much as 10% of the total project cost up front.

Thank you! Contact CBCC  www.coralbaycommunitycouncil.org  coralbaycommunitycouncil@hotmail.com  Office – 340-776-2099 phone/fax  Sharon Coldren, President, 340-513-4298