TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Raw Sewage dump in Open area-Phillipsburg

This is so disturbing....
https://www.facebook.com/SXMLATESTNEWS/videos/1889272654647972/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Mad.gif" alt="" />

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" /> Leaves me speechless. How sad

Um, just where exactly is the island's waste treatment plant located?

Bahston-Cole Bay?

http://smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin...the-french.html

Daily Herald story Apparently the sewage was dumped at the landfill..

To my knowledge they don't have one. Waterfront resorts just dump their effluent directly into the ocean. Westin and Rainbow BC are prime examples where you can see it right out in the open. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> I'm sure they're all the same.

404 NOT FOUND with the link that you provided....

You mean people are swimming in this!!!??
Disgusting! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

SXMSammy- Edited the link should work now.

Also:
http://smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin...the-lagoon.html

SXM will lose their tourism! Can you hear me?

Apparently this is nothing new. Ignorance is Bliss! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/drown.gif" alt="" />

All resorts have a waste treatment system. What you are seeing leading into the ocean is treated water. Westin could not build without one, and VROMI will answer that for you. Problem is that a lot of the treatment plants are not monitored as well as they should be by Dept. of Health and overflow or untreated water can end up in the Ocean, and or the Lagoon. If raw sewage was in the water at the level you say, everyone would be sick.

I hate to say this but I am pretty sure that's how the have always done it on SXM and for fact many other islands. For years I have seen these septic trucks going to the island land fill to unload (no pun meant) and I guess it filters through the other trash and sand. SXM has many ecological and SXM Pride organizations that kinda watches over this type of thing. Maybe a few but MOST Resorts do NOT just dump in the ocean, most likely what you see came for one of them or the have there own septic septic systems like you see in the USA. Very sandy, it soaks away very fast. I am not that worried or alarmed. It will be interesting to see what GOV has to say if they reply.

Effluent. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

There is no percolation thru volcanic rock, they put the effluent directly into the ocean. You can clearly see the outflow pipe running constantly at both resorts that I mentioned. Years ago I know that The Towers put their effluent into a rubber lined retention pond and pumped it into the irrigation system for the golf course. Been hit more than once with foul smelling "water" while golfing in SXM <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

Not true. RBC has a working septic system. The drain you see with is just rainwater runoff which there is a lot of since it's a big property on a slope. The ONLY time you see that drain working is when it rains. And it's a waterfall! Been here almost 10 years and never seen sewage going to the sea at RBC. Swim the crystal clear water all the time.

No rain for the two weeks I spent there last year.....sorry ...never smelled rainwater like that. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Daily Herald editorial Apparently there is s sewage processing plant, but it is not always available.

Elaine is absolutely correct. There is a working septic system at Rainbow. Whatever you smell is not coming from there. I can assure you that the folks living there would not allow that to happen and furthermore would not be swimming at the beach--which they most certainly do every day.

Not trying to beat a dead horse here but what they pump into the trucks are the "solids".........the liquids (effluent)are what concern me more. In an engineered system the effluent is designed to slowly percolate back into the ground...cleansing itself as it travels back to ground water level. Unfortunately volcanic rock does not allow adequate percolation. This is an island wide problem not specific to a particular area. I'm done. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Same with Cupecoy Beach Club, the pipe you see pouring water into the ocean is the desalination run-off. They have their own waster. If any of these resorts were dumping raw sewage into the ocean it would have been stopped ages ago

The island is just not all rock....a bunch of sand there too which is perfect for percolation. The island gov officials that handle these types of things are getting better and better of enforcing and improving. How stupid would a resort be to dump onto there own beach. You can't hide that very well. I think mostly much a do about nada.