Humphrey: Rains will sort out Green Pond

Once the rains come in, Green Pond in St Andrew should return to its former state, even after the recent ash fall.

That was the word from Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey this week, after a team from the ministry and Coastal Zone Management Unit (CZMU) spent two days earlier this month dredging the pond in Walkers. They had responded to a call of dead fish in the pond on Easter Sunday.

“Contrary to reports of sewage, it was never sewage in the pond. The fish kill was due to an influx of Sargassum seaweed and saltwater. The solution we incorporated was to break the berm to allow the water to flow from the sea back in to lower the level of the water. Sea water came in and the water that was contaminated with the Sargassum as well as the dead biodiversity floated back into the sea,” Humphrey explained.

The CZMU had cut a channel about 35 feet long and 15 feet wide to facilitate drainage of the water which had turned from brown to black, which had allowed the water levels to drop. The team had also moved about 120 wheelbarrow loads of Sargassum from the area by the mouth where the biggest concern had been.

“We lowered the water levels significantly in the pond. We also blocked the berm back up to prevent further water from coming in. We are of the view with time, and the regular rainfall, that the pond is going to be okay. In fact, all of our inspections have suggested that the pond will be okay because we saw no further evidence of dead fish or dead crabs or any other dead sea life or pond life,” the minister added.

Humphrey said they would not be putting any other fish or marine life into the pond.

“Most of the fish did not die. A significant amount of the fish had moved further inland away from the influx of Sargassum seaweed and salt water. Once the water comes back to its normal balance, we expect them to return.” (RA)