Macal Water “Unfit for Human Consumption” says Environmental Scientist

The water being released from the Chalillo Dam is unfit for human consumption and cannot be properly disinfected due to the high levels of turbidity, according to Professor Guy Lanza of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, U.S.A.

PRESS RELEASE: August 17, 2009, Submitted by BELPO and WeBAD - The water being released from the Chalillo Dam is unfit for human consumption and cannot be properly disinfected due to the high levels of turbidity, according to Professor Guy Lanza of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, U.S.A.

After almost three weeks of believing the rains and the runoff from the Mountain Pine Ridge were causing the Macal River to look worse than anyone can recall, we now know that the source is the intentional release of accumulated sediment and silt from the bottom of the reservoir. (see photo)

The Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy (BELPO) sent the photos of the discolored water to its international network of scientists for review. After reviewing the photographs, Dr. Lanza, who is a water quality expert with 35 years of experience in analyzing dam impacts and water pollution problems, stated “The recent release of sediments with severe turbidity contaminants from the Chalillo dam is inexcusable and poses immediate risks to human health, livestock health, and the ecology of the Macal, Mopan, and Belize rivers. Immediate action is required to halt the release of additional sediments from the Chalillo dam, and to quickly respond with appropriate remediation strategies to reduce the threats to humans, livestock, and the Macal, Mopan and Belize river ecosystems.

“The water in that river is unfit for human consumption and simply cannot be filtered and disinfected due to the high turbidity levels.” added Dr. Lanza. “The extremely high water turbidity, clearly documented in the photographs, is the result of both organic and inorganic sediment material including silts and clays deliberately released from the dam gates to the Macal River. The clay material will remain in the water for an extended period. “The release is a concern with regard to use of the water for drinking by humans and livestock and also a major concern to the overall water quality and ecology in both the impoundment and downstream in the Macal, Mopan, and Belize rivers.. The turbidity levels considered safe for drinking water are given in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU’s). NTU's are a standard measure of light transmission through water and the U.S. Environmental Protection Act acceptable level is 1 NTU; the World Health Organization (WHO) level is 5 NTU's. The levels of turbidity in Macal River are thousands of times higher than acceptable WHO standards.

“Turbidity contaminants protect disease-causing waterborne microbes (bacteria, viruses, protozoa) by masking their presence and by interfering with the effectiveness of the disinfection chemicals (e.g. chlorine) used to purify the water for drinking purposes. Sediment materials producing the turbidity will clog filtration systems used to pre-treat drinking water before using chlorine (or other disinfectants) to inactivate pathogens. Clogging can occur in engineered sand filters at water treatment plants or in the “natural filtration processes” in soil and subsurface rock.

“It’s not possible to filter and disinfect drinking water with the excessively high levels of turbidity evident in the Macal, Mopan, and Belize rivers. A good historical example of excess turbidity causing serious human waterborne disease from drinking water was reported in 1993 in Wisconsin (near Milwaukee). More than 400,000 people became ill with waterborne disease from a protozoan parasite (= cryptosporidium) and more than 100 died.

“Toxic elements including heavy metals, pesticides, and generally non-toxic elements such as iron can have their toxicity increased in turbid water because they are often absorbed or adsorbed to fine clay Excess accumulation of iron can lead to disturbances in liver function, diabetes mellitus, endocrine disturbances and cardiovascular effects.

“High turbidity will block light entering the impoundment and rivers and that will in turn reduce the normal addition of oxygen to the water by photosynthetic plants, algae, and bacteria. Also, some of the dissolved and suspended organic material contributing to the turbidity will at the same time remove oxygen from the water through the processes of Biochemical Oxygen Demand and Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD/COD).

“Lower oxygen content will result in the loss of fish and other important aquatic biota and can prolong the survival of disease causing microorganisms. Another concern is the abrasive effect of suspended materials on fish and other living creatures (a sort of wet sandblasting). The fact is sediments will clog the bottom habitat essential for the reproduction and survival of many important bottom dwelling organisms.”

CONTACTS: Dr. Guy R. Lanza
Professor of Microbiology and Director
Environmental Science Program
The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
glanza@mrc.umass.edu
1-413-545-3747

Candy Gonzalez, J.D.
President, Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy (BELPO)
candybz@gmail.com and/or belpo.belize@gmail.com
501-824-2476

London tribunal dismissed the Belize Bank’s claim

Belmopan. 17th August 2009 - The Government of Belize has received, from the London Court of International Arbitration, an official copy of the “First Partial Award” made by the Arbitral Tribunal in the matter of the Belize Bank Limited v the Government of Belize. The Tribunal has dismissed all the claims of the Belize Bank against the Government of Belize, arising out of the so-called 2008 oral settlement agreement. That was an agreement between the Musa administration and the Belize Bank, which diverted the 10 million (US) gifted to the people of Belize for housing by the Government of Venezuela. The money was instead paid over to the Belize Bank by the Musa administration in supposed settlement of the infamous UHS debt. It was, however, later recovered by the current administration via the efforts of the Central Bank of Belize.

In particular, the London tribunal dismissed the Belize Bank’s claim that the payment to and receipt by the Belize Bank of the US $10 million was lawful; and dismissed its claim for damages against the Government of Belize in the sum of US $10 million plus interest from 11 August 2008.

In coming to its decision, the Tribunal impugned the actions of then Prime Minister Said Musa, AG Francis Fonseca and Home Affairs Minister Ralph Fonseca, as well as the conduct of the Belize Bank. The Tribunal declared that the Venezuelan US $10 million “should have been paid into the (Belize) Consolidated Revenue Fund……….before any transfer could be made to the Claimant subject to the controls set out in the Finance Act……..The oral agreement (between the Musa administration and the Belize Bank) therefore violates Article 114 (1) of the Belize Constitution and section 3 of the Finance Act”. Importantly, the tribunal explicitly found that one of the fundamental objectives of the 2008 Settlement Agreement between the Claimant and the Government of Belize…….”was to ensure that the existence of the Venezuelan Funds remained concealed from the National Assembly and the Belize public so that the controls set out in the Finance Act could be avoided…...”

In all the circumstances the tribunal declared that the agreement between the Musa administration and the Belize Bank concerning the Venezuelan funds is void for illegality and that the Central Bank of Belize acted properly in requiring the return of the monies.

GOB notes that the London Tribunal is still to determine the Belize Bank’s claim that, the Venezuelan monies apart, the Government of Belize is to pay 33,545,820 under the March 2007 Settlement Agreement and Loan Note made by the Musa administration regarding the UHS debt. That decision has been reserved for a date to be fixed, but in the meantime the government has welcomed the current decision. GOB sees it as a strong censure of the illegal and outrageous secret deal between the PUP government and the Belize Bank, and a vindication of the UDP’s struggle for, and recovery of, the People’s Venezuela 10 million US.

Planned Power Outage - San Pedro - Saturday, August 15, 2009

Planned Power Outage - San Pedro - Saturday, August 15, 2009

Belize Electricity Limited advises its customers in San Pedro Town that the supply of electricity will be temporarily interrupted from 7:00 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. and from 2:45 p.m. to 3:00 p .m. on Saturday, August 15, 2009.

Areas to be affected: All of San Pedro Town.

BEL apologizes for the inconvenience caused but this outage is necessary for the company to perform maintenance and upgrade distribution system in the area.

For customer inquiries and services call us toll free at: 0-800-BEL-CARE OR 0-800-235-2273. To view scheduled outages via our website visit: http://www.bel.com.bz/services_outages.asp

This notice is for public information purposes only. For more information, contact Belize Electricity Limited, Corporate Communications Department at 227-0954, extension 2502.

5th Annual Reef Radio Karaoke kicks off!

Reef Radio, in conjunction with Jaguar's Temple Night Club has begun their annual Karaoke competition, with the first round held last night, Thursday, August 13th. The 5 rounds of singing will culminate on September 17th.

The six contestants were: Roberta Novelo, Ramon Flores, Moises Tzul, LeRoi Hyde, Helda Santos and Mavis Usher.
Hosts for the evening, David "DJ Habo" Marin and Luis "DJ Flex" Romero.
Mavis Usher was the top choice for round one.
Crowd favorite, Helda Santos also makes it through the first round.

Other perform

As Monday, internet voting will start for the remaining contestants. All contestants who don't make the cut in the five rounds will be placed online and whoever wins the votes will be the 11th contestant (wild card) for the finals on September 17th.

Holy Cross Croc Saved

(l-r) ACES’s Team Behaviorist Vince Rose, UCLA, PhD research student Marisa Tellez and Holy Cross manager Vernon Wilson.

Holy Cross Croc Saved
Submitted by Marine Biologist Cherie Chenot-Rose, ACES/American Crocodile Education Sanctuary

North of the cut on Ambergris Island, a five foot American Crocodile decided to take up residence in a shallow canal on the property of the managers of Holy Cross Anglican School, Francis and Vernon Wilson. Worried that the bold reptile would make a beloved pet its prey, the Wilson’s decided it needed to be removed. With the word out that a nuisance crocodile needed to be relocated, a few locals stopped by and offered to ‘off’ the cute little bugger for a price. Not wishing to harm the juvenile croc, the Wilson’s were put in contact with ACES / American Crocodile Education Sanctuary in Punta Gorda by wildlife advocate, Colette Kase. Being ACES is a non‐profit organization with limited funding, the Wilson’s graciously put the ACES’s Team up for the night, and the Holy Cross Anglican School donated funds to cover the costs of the crocodile’s relocation.

American Crocodiles are not only protected under the Belize Wildlife Protection Act (Chapter 220); but are also currently considered ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and on a global level are facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

ACES’s Team, Behaviorist Vince Rose, Biologist Cherie Chenot‐Rose and UCLA, PhD research student Marisa Tellez, arrived on the scene Tuesday, August 4th , at lunchtime and was fed a yummy, complimentary meal by the Holy Cross School. Setting up traps in the hot day’s sun, the team caught the croc by 5:00 pm in a snare type trap; and then, collected scientific data pertinent to the conservation of Crocodilians in Belize.

The captured croc was a female and name Alice E. after Francis’s mother. In the species Crocodylus acutus, American Crocodiles, the female is the more aggressive. This particular croc had taken up residence in the Wilson’s canal because the contained water had a lower salinity than the surrounding canals.With fresher water to drink and ample food sources, from not only the birds and fish but from the nearby workers, the croc was protecting her little water hole with all she had. This was truly one of the feistiest little crocs I have ever encountered. And, even though this croc was successfully relocated to ACES in Punta Gorda where she will be used in educational lectures on how to safely co‐exist with crocs, another croc will most likely move into her now vacant water hole.

It is important to understand that removing all the problematic crocs is not an answer to Ambergris’s ever growing problem of human‐croc conflicts. The answer to coexisting with these modern day dinosaurs is to recognize it is us, humans, who are the intruder and we need them more than they need us. The number one thing everyone can do to decrease the number of problem crocodiles is never discard food waste, especially chicken and fish scraps, into the waters. Everyone enjoys a free meal and will choose it over paying or expending extra energy.
Feeding crocodiles directly or indirectly by this manner is the number one cause of croc attacks and is illegal in Belize.

If you have small pets or children and you are living on a canal or lagoon front, a sea wall will assure protection from crocodiles coming into your yard. At times of mating and when dry seasons are extra dry, crocs will seek waterholes with a lower salinity than the sea. Even though American Crocs are a saltwater species and can excrete salt through a specialized gland on their tongue and through their feces, high continual concentrations of salt can be stressful on them, especially the young and nesting females. Normally, these crocs will drink fresh water from the thin layer of rainwater that being less dense lays on the surface of the saltier sea. This year, with as dry as it has been, this layer at times does not exist and the crocs will seek out pools, puddles and contained water areas for their lower salinity.

ACES would like to thank Francis and Vernon for their hospitality and the Holy Cross Anglican School for funding the capture. We praise their decision in taking the extra mile to save this highly threatened apex predator. So many people do not seem to understand the importance of crocodiles in keeping Belize’s ecosystems in balance. Not only do they feed upon small mammals and rodents that carry disease, such as raccoons, but they keep fish populations in balance and healthy as well. By reducing the numbers of apex predators, such as crocs, in an area, populations of their prey explode. This in turn leads to spread of disease and famines as prey consume all of the available food sources. In turn, the prey will eventually die off in mass numbers and habitats that once flourished with life will become vast wastelands. With only an estimated 10 to 20 thousand American crocodiles left world‐wide, ACES is making every effort to help preserve these magnificent reptiles for Belize’s future generations and to hopefully save them from extinction.

For more information about ACES please visit our website at www.americancrocodilesanctuary.org.