What Beach Is This?

[neptune18]

Does anyone know what beach this is? Thanks

 

[gtaylor]

Great Bay Beach, Philipsburg, between the Little Pier and the end of The Boardwalk.

 

Water looks pretty, but is polluted.

 

gary

[neptune18]

Thanks.

[satbeachbill]

Now this has me scratching my head. :confused: I just read a review of the Great Bay beach area, done by an environmental engineer. He and his family just visited there, and was curious about the pollution too. He said he took the data from the runoff in to Great Bay, and ran the numbers and said it wasn't enough to be concerned about for humans. He enjoyed the day--- and a swim--- at Great Bay.

 

Yeah, I've seen all the discolored discharge ditches and the run off too. I'm sure that certain times of the year with heavy rains and runoff, the pollution numbers would be higher.

It's not like Great Bay is loadlocked. It has tides, it gets flushed with the wind-blown waves and currents 24 hours a day.

 

....and I've seen pictures of a 4 foot pipe laying on the bottom 200 yards offshore dumping the god awfullest slim and crap just off shore of Palm Beach, Fl.....right where hundreds of thousands of people swim. The reef is dead from this stuff for a radius of 300 feet.

The waters off Cocoa Beach, Fl are polluted to a point, as stated from a report done periodically, and thousands upon thousands swim there too.

 

I think to a degree a good deal of public beaches are that way.

 

By the way, on Orient Beach, where do you think those MILLIONS of people drinking those MILLIONS of Pina-Colatas every day end up? I don't see huge lines at the bathrooms.

 

Maybe it should all be taken in context.

 

I love this forum. We can all share information like this and make our own decisions!..................and there's lots of beaches in Saint Maarten !

[jillyfish]

:(

Great Bay Beach, Philipsburg, between the Little Pier and the end of The Boardwalk.

 

Water looks pretty, but is polluted.

 

gary

 

Is this you???

I am trying to figure out the current status of Great Bay - not easy.

We love the convenience of Great Bay.............but.

 

YOU ARE HERE: OPINION LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GREAT BAY BEACH NOT BLUE FLAG ACCREDITED

Great Bay beach not Blue Flag accredited

SUNDAY, 17 APRIL 2011 23:40

Editor's note: In relation to the referred story in this letter to the Editor, Friday's story in The Daily Herald noting the unveiling of the code of conduct – Blue Flag programme environmental awareness signs – by The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau was written based on statements made by Tourist Bureau Director Regina Labega, who noted that the code of conduct signs would be placed at Great Bay beach. There was no mention of the beach attaining Blue Flag accreditation.

Dear Editor,

The code of conduct signs will spell out the do's and don'ts for beach users and indicate the amenities at the beaches. The beaches will include Simpson Bay, Mullet Bay, Kim Sha, Little Bay and Great Bay. The signs will be easily visible for the public at major entrance points.

The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau announced that Divi Little Bay beach had been awarded the Blue Flag programme environmental awareness award. Congratulations to them and let them fly the flag (sign) proudly.

But your article also proclaims that Great Bay beach is included in the programme. How can this be, as everyone knows that Great Bay is flooded with pollution?

The Daily Herald has reported on this as recently as November 16, 2010. The canal close to Sonesta Great Bay Beach Hotel was opened on Monday to allow runoff from Fresh Pond to the sea, much to the chagrin of hotel management and guests. Dark water poured over the beach and into the sea, leaving tourists wondering what exactly was going on.

There is also the continuing problem of raw sewage flowing into the bay through the canal at Bobby's Marina, not to mention the discharge from ships/yachts/boats anchored in Great Bay. Read your own paper for details.

The Blue Flag calls for these criteria for water quality: (See the Blue Flag Website:

http://www.blueflag.org/Materiale/Publication-downloads/BlueFlagBrochure2007 .)

* Compliance with standards for excellent bathing water quality

* No industrial or sewage-related discharges may affect the beach area

* Compliance of the community with requirements for sewage treatment and

effluent quality.

I would love for Great Bay beach to fly the Blue Flag, but that shouldn't happen until government takes action to actually clean up the bay and beach to meet the Blue Flag requirements.

Gary Taylor

California

[gtaylor]

Yes, that's me, in the local newspaper, and this is also me, more recently, here at Cruise Critic.

 

gary

[jillyfish]

Can you give me some current links where I can read about the pollution at Great Bay?

I did find what you have posted above on the internet.

 

How is such a big thing kept quiet?

How do we know other beaches are not as bad? It doesn't mention Orient, Le Galion ect being tested.

 

Thanks

[jillyfish]

what does medium levels of phosphates and nitrates mean?

It says they did the testing to determine the swimming quality of the beaches.

They did not close the beach. What level is considered hazardous enough to close the beach?

Are the cuts leading into Great Bay from the Salt Pond still there? Your picture looks like there is a bulldozer there and no one at the beach at the time of that photo.

[gtaylor]

You can interpret my postings and links in any way that you wish.

 

I will not go into the water at Great Bay Beach.

 

I strongly support St. Maarten as a vacation destination.

 

I have spent 53 timeshare weeks on-island, as well as about 18 days associated with cruises.

 

gary

[jillyfish]

I would just like more information, guess I am an info junkie.

 

Is there any other links you could direct me to?

Thanks

[gtaylor]

I would just like more information, guess I am an info junkie.

 

Is there any other links you could direct me to?

Thanks

 

What kind of link would you like?

 

gary

[jillyfish]

What kind of link would you like?

 

gary

 

Links on the current status of Great Bay Beach in St Maarten.

What is being done about it. What are environmental agengies saying about it.

What are the people of St Maarten saying about it.

 

Why is it so difficult to find something on this topic, seems like it would be major news.

 

Could you tell me when your photobucket pictures were taken?

[kcparrothead]

Here's a report from November:

 

http://www.caribarena.com/saintmartin/environment/environment/8408-water-quality-pollution-testing-repor.html

[jillyfish]

With no further supporting information this is the conclusion I have come to with regards to the current pollution of Great Bay:

 

The Nature Foundation's water samples showed low-medium readings. I am not really sure what this means but from this statement in their report I feel it was not a big concern to the Foundation.

 

"Despite the fact that many sites showed Low to Medium readings, the Nature Foundation will follow up on a monthly basis during the upcoming high season to carefully monitor for changes in the respective levels"

 

Also in November 2011 the Nature Foundation tested Lion Fish caught in St Maarten waters and recommended them not to be eaten due to toxins. I feel if there were concerns with what they had found in their water samples at Great Bay Beach, they would have also warned the public to not swim at that beach.

 

I just can't believe if the water in Great Bay is harmful to swimmers there isn't more information all over the internet to be found on it.

[gtaylor]

I like the lead-in to your post,

 

"With no further supporting information this is the conclusion I have come to"

 

FYI, I've decided to prepare for you a response with quotes from the local media that might not show up in a Google search (if you did one) because they're behind a pay firewall. It will take me a day.

 

If you spent the weeks on island that I do, or would pay, as I do, $119 a year for a subscription to the local paper, you could be much more aware of the general conditions of the island.

 

I would also wonder how aware you might be of the way these things work in these (almost) third-world countries of the Caribbean, with all of them competing for tourist visits/dollars, and how many would advertise ANY disparaging conditions?

 

gary

 

p.s. We were just there in October 2011, with a group of 13, and I guarantee that no-one was going to go into the water at Great Bay Beach.

 

p.p.s. The report linked a couple posts above is the general release of the article in the local paper that I referred to earlier.

[jillyfish]

thanks gary.

I look forward (:o) to reading more..........

[gtaylor]

Here is a link to a Google Docs entry that contains a number of clips from the local paper, The Daily Herald.

 

These are not necessarily entirely related to the subject of pollution in Great Bay, but illustrate a general view of pollution related concerns on the island.

 

You might also be interested in these two earlier posts.

 

1

2

 

gary

[jillyfish]

ok gary, you have convinced me with all of your attachments above.

Seeing the google 'topographical' map was helpful. And reading about the school children 'hopscotching through sewage on their way to school' explains why they had no concerns about jumping into Great Bay while we were there last time.

 

I had contacted the Nature Foundation last week via email to ask about their monthly water tests after the Nov. 2011 one but have not gotten a reply.

 

Is this problem only on the Dutch side or does the French side have the same issues?

 

thanks for your patience and persistence.

[gtaylor]

The French side is not without problems, as are some other beaches on the Dutch side, but my current focus is on the demonstrability (that's a real word) of problems with Great Bay, as it is currently the worst and is most often visited by Cruisers.

 

I will monitor conditions and update here and everywhere else that I can.

 

gary

[soccergirl1]

I have a question - What about Dawn Beach? I have a family of 7 and we were thinking either Sonesta Bay or Westin. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...

[ksswinggal]

How about Little Bay? It's close to Great Bay but separated - is it clean?

[gtaylor]

I have no problems with Little Bay, where the Divi Resort is located, and I think that Dawn Beach could be a good choice if the weather cooperates.

 

gary