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New River conditions improving

The Department of the Environment (DOE) hereby informs the public, especially residents of Orange Walk Town and those people living in the vicinity of the New River, that the general condition of the river has improved over the past weeks.

Since early September 2019, the DOE has been monitoring the water quality of the river near Orange Walk Town on a daily basis and has observed a steady improvement of the river. The improvement is as a result of several factors: (i) the DOE has conducted remedial actions in the river, (ii) inspections of local industries by the DOE and other agencies to address discharge of wastewater, and (iii) the recharging of the river due to localized rainfall in central and northern Belize.

Since the start of October 2019, monitoring of the readings of the hydrogen sulphide stations along the New River has not indicated any presence of the gas, and therefore, the malodour has not affected the area recently.

The DOE will continue to monitor the situation on a weekly basis and we will modify our remediation activities based on information gathered during our weekly monitoring.

In accordance with its medium- and long-term plans, the DOE along with the New River Task Force will continue to meet regularly to continue to implement the medium-term activities that will greatly assist in the preparation and implementation of the New River Watershed Management Plan (long-term plan).

The public is advised to contact the DOE to report any abnormal observations on the New River.

We take a closer look at the state of The New River, alongside DOE, as it slowly recuperates.

New River Stressed Out

Over the last 2 months, we've been reporting on the resurgence of environmental problems connected with New River. Tonight, the Department of the Environment is sounding the alarm that once again, there are portions of the river that are critically stressed as a result of water pollution.

Every month, representatives of the DOE have been collecting and testing water samples at 20 sample points along the river.

The DOE reports that according to their tests, the portion of the river that is struggling with the highest levels of stress is the area from the Toll Bridge to the Trial Farm Village. The say that this portion of the river has the lowest levels of dissolved oxygen and the highest concentration of Chlorophyll. This indicates that there is an algal bloom that is reaching a critical state. Under those conditions, the river will not be able to adequately support aquatic life - in short, ripe conditions for a fish-kill.

This morning, the Deputy Chief Environmental Officer granted us an interview via Zoom. Here's what he had to say about what the monthly tests are revealing about the overall health of this major waterway in the north:

So, do the DOE officials know the sources of water pollution? Well, according to the Deputy Chief Environmental Officer, it appears that the build-up of polluting nutrients is coming from farming activities, the light industries in the town, as well as the residential homes near the river.:

We also asked about the DOE's efforts to step up enforcement against those business owners and homeowners who are knowingly harming the river's ecological functions. The Deputy Chief Environmental Officer told us that their presence on the Town's trade licensing board means that businesses will have to be more responsible about their wastewater and effluent discharge practices:

The Department says that industrial farmers and the residents living near the river can help the authorities look after it by ensuring that they are complying within their property with adequate waste management practices.

They are receiving support to implement a 2-year monthly water quality monitoring program for the river.

Channel 7

RESIDENTS & OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO BE CONSULTED ON RESTORATION ACTIVITIES FOR THE NEW RIVER

A consultative process has just begun and will be carried out over a four-week period with various stakeholder groups that reside within the New River watershed. Identified stakeholder groups include residents along the New River, representatives of local governments and institutions, factory operators, farmers, tourism and business operators, and civil society representatives.

This consultation will provide valuable insight into stakeholders' views, concerns, and recommendations for consideration in developing a management plan to restore and conserve the New River watershed.

A comprehensive and integrated watershed management plan is critical to guide the restoration, protection and promotion of the sustainable use and benefits of the resources of the New River watershed for all users and stakeholders, present and future. The Department of the Environment (DOE) is implementing the development of the New River Watershed Plan with the financial assistance of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust.

The DOE encourages all identified stakeholders to actively engage with the consulting team to be able to participate in the successful completion of this activity. Members of the consultation team will possess a letter from the DOE identifying themselves as part of this activity.

For further information or clarification, please contact Fermin Olivera at 672-1428 or email f1olivera@gmail.com.

Restoration Activities for the New River

A portion of New River which stretches from the toll bridge to Trial Farm Village in Orange Walk District remains critically stressed and shows the highest levels of chlorophyll and lowest levels of dissolved oxygen. According to the Department of the Environment, this is indicative of an algal bloom which is detrimental to aquatic life. The D.O.E. says that the area is being affected mainly by industrial, agricultural and urban discharges. On Friday, government announced via press release that consultations have begun with various stakeholder groups that reside within the New River watershed. The process will provide valuable insight into stakeholders' views, concerns and recommendations for consideration in developing a management plan to restore and conserve the New River watershed. Industries, farmers and the public can assist by ensuring that they are complying within their property with adequate waste management practices and vegetation buffer along the river to reduce the organic load entering the river.

Channel 5

BSI Cools Down Water Running to River

You'll probably remember the environmental crisis of the New River in Orange Walk. Back in mid-2019, communities along that northern waterway had to struggle with the choking and persistent stench that came from dead fish floating up to its surface. Years of pollution of the river caused a major fish kill, and it became a national priority in which the Department of Environment had to step in to implement mitigation measures. That's because the sick river was starting to threaten public health.

In the 2 years since, the Government and the communities have worked to try and reduce the amount of pollution that finds its way into the river. The Belize Sugar Industries Limited, which had to defend against persistent accusations that they were the biggest culprits to the crisis, has reduced its environmental footprint on the river.

And, the company is now making a major step to reduce its final impact on the recovering waterway. That comes by way of an expensive water cooling system, which will allow them to stop releasing warm water into the River.

After months of construction, that new piece of equipment was publicly unveiled at their Tower Hill Facility in Orange Walk. They invited the press and 7News attended.

Daniel Ortiz has that story:

These giant structures on BSI/ASR's Tower Hill compound make up their new water cooling tower.

To get them operational, the company invested almost 9 million dollars.

Malcolm "Mac" McLachlan - VP, International Relations, ASR/BSI
"This isn't cheap, it's around 9 million dollars Belize, but this represents part of our commitment to the environment and to local area here in the north of Belize. You can't be something here in a sense of an industrial operation without being very cognizant of your responsibility, so that's why we have this environmental compliance plan. That environment compliance plan suggested where temperatures of water that we needed to get to. You can't do it overnight and it's taken us a while to get there, but in planning for this particular plant we went through lots of different ideas and types of designs. This in itself took about 2 years from planning through to fruition."

To appreciate the importance of this new piece of equipment to the environmental protection of the New River, you first have to understand certain parts of the mill's process for sugar production. They extract water from the river, which is then used by their equipment.

Luis Rodriguez - Industrial Operations Manager, ASR/BSI
"Why we use the water is to create a vacuum. Basically, it's a specific condition operation to ensure the sugar quality is consistent and it's meeting our requirements. As you will see the sugar is very sensitive to heat, so why we drop the pressure or we create the vacuum is making sure that we are cooking the sugar at a lower temperature."

Seidy Lienez - EHS Regional Manager, ASR/BSI
"In order for us to cook the sugar, so we have this vacuum pans and how do they operate, they have to operate under vacuum and they have a condenser and so that condenser is what sucks the water, create the vacuum for this equipment to function, but an exchange happens there and what is the exchange - I create vacuum and what I give you, heat."

After that sugar "cooking" process is completed, the extracted water is hotter than the recommended temperature for its release back into the environment.

And, that's where these shiny new water cooling towers come in.

The experts tell us that it's kind of like a more sophisticated version of a car radiator, which keeps the vehicle's engine from excessive overheating.

Seidy Lienez
"It's like a radiator. Have you seen your car. There is an exchange: the airflow and so you have the air and water. The exchange happens between those two streams and so one gains heat, the other one loss it and so the one that losses it is the water coming out and so the hot air is what flows up. There is the ingress of water coming in, we have this big pipe and so its elevated to trickle down the honey comb arrangement and so what happens in that honey comb, you spread out and in that spreading out process is where the exchange or you maximize the heat exchange. It's basically a big heat exchanger; one gains heat and the other one loses it. In this case it's the water that loses it."

Water that has been cooled by these towers will then be released back into the river at the legally required temperature of 35 degrees celsius. This equipment will be fully operational just in time for the upcoming crop season. It solves a problem that BSI had, where the facility was releasing effluent which was hotter than what was allowed under their Environmental Compliance Plan.

So, why is this project coming online so late? Didn't the New River, which is slowly healing from a very complex, and multi-layered pollution problem, need this sort of environmentally-conscious approach for years now?

Malcolm "Mac" McLachlan
"The usual standard for a plant like this related to the water temperature, if you look at world bank standards and IDB, is 3 degrees above the ambient temperature, so the problem we've always have here and why it's taken a while to get the right equipment, the right study to be done here is that the ambient temperature in Orange Walk is often above that, so what we are effectively being ask to do with the legislations that stands and we respect that, is pretty much to chill this water before we put it back into the river. Remember sometimes the water coming out of the river is always above that temperature, so the issue we've have is what's the best way of doing that and these things take time to plan. We look at a number of different systems, but actually achieving that very rigid target took a while. Obviously, we like to do things quicker than that, but here we are today, within the time limits of the ECP and we are very proud of that plant and I think it's something we hope will play its part in helping with the issues with the new river. Of course, this in itself won't solve those that needs a holistic approach and there are many different reasons for the problems the river had, but certainly we don't want to be contributing to them."

And the Minister with responsibility for the Environment hopes that all the other light manufacturing companies along the New River will clean up their operations in a similar manner as the sugar mill.

Hon. Orlando "Landy" Habet - Minister of Sus. Dev., Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management
"I think it's going to be something that the entire area will benefit from and as you mentioned we now have to see what we can do to work along with the other small light industries so that they can do their part. But the department of environment is already working along with them trying to have an area where they can bring some of their water from the small mills like the tortilla mills and everything so that it can be fix, purified and it goes back into the system. I think it's a benefit for all."

What Can Be Done To Save The New River?

Today's Water Cooling Event at the Tower Hill Factory also gave the Department of Environment an opportunity to discuss its latest activities to restore the New River back to a healthier state.

Here's that briefing from Anthony Mai, a Senior Environmental Officer:

Anthony Mai, Senior Environmental Officer, DOE
"They have the installation of the hydrological stations along the river and I'll discuss more in details about this. We have the establishment of a central and modern database management system to hold all the data that we are collecting. And this fourth, we will conduct a bathymetric profile of the river bottom and I'll explain why that is important. We will establish a nursery to re-vegetate the disturbed buffer zone along the river. Also we have strengthen waste water management in terms of some of the activities that we have plan for the Orange Walk community itself. We have increase public awareness on all the activities that we have been doing in terms of restoring and protecting the new river. Also the preparation of a comprehensive water shed management plan for this entire river."

"In terms of the water quality monitoring, I mentioned that we have been doing this October 2019 and so that's maybe over a year of data that we have which is important and I already mentioned why. So we take samples from about 20 locations along the river and we don't only take a surface, but we do column as well and so we take every 3,6,9 and 12 and 15 feet. The river bottom and the depth varies and so we just use those as guide. That is critical, because this new river is very dynamic. Its a very complex system and it took a lot for us to really understand what's going on. We do believe that we have a good clear understanding of what is happening. There is much more that needs to be done and more that needs to be understood, but at least from the base we understand what's going on."

"In terms of the hydrological station, we have been working with the hydrology unit in the ministry of natural resources. They have given us the specifications of hydrological systems that they would want to install in the river. We will install 4 early next year. We are going through the procurement process for these equipment."

Reporter
"Isn't there a need for sanctions to get people to comply if they continuously violate?"

Hon. Orlando "Landy" Habet
"Certainly, but I think we have to set the stage and assist them especially in terms of education so that they know what is right from wrong. We can give them all the regulations, but if they don't understand what is happening, then they might not comply."

Channel 7

New River, New Rules

As we showed you last week, the BSI/ASR is attempting to further reduce any environmental impacts that its Tower Hill Mill has on the environment in the Orange Walk District.

They officially unveiled their 8.8-million-dollar Water Cooling Tower, which will ensure that they aren't releasing hot water into the vulnerable New River. During the media tour they hosted last week, the Regional Manager of the company's Environment Health Safety discussed its strict wastewater treatment process. She told us that the effluent released from the sugar mill, which goes into the New River, is not a threat to the environment:

Seidy Lienez - EHS Regional Manager, ASR/BSI
"The wastewater treatment process addresses the organic component. On the other side, what we have there is the COD, in terms of the COD, BOD, and the purification that needs to happen when you treat organic material."

"The chemical oxygen demand and we have the biological oxygen demand. In Belize, we have the regulations for the sugar industry that specifically addresses these parameters, for instance, how much oxygen is in the water, how much you have purified the system, how clean the system is. As simple as I can put it is you have wastewater coming in. You want to purify it through this process so that when it comes out, it's good to go into a stream."

Reporter
"What components make up the wastewater that you're treating in the ponds right now."

Seidy Lienez
"Any washings, for instance, if we have spills and we need to wash those, we don't send that sweet water anywhere else but to our effluent tank, and that effluent tank pumps it for treatment. So, it is not something like any chemicals being added, as you mentioned. It's basically a part of the cleaning process that we have."

Reporter
"For sugar, right?"

Seidy Lienez
"For sugar."

Reporter
"So, this water comes from a separate use."

Seidy Lienez
"It is from any washings within the facility, the sugar processing."

The Department of Environment is in the process of urging all of the other light manufacturing companies along the New River to also prioritize wastewater treatment.

We also asked ASR's Mac McLachlan about the mill's air emissions, which became the subject of controversy back in 2019. In June of that year, residents of the Chan Pine Ridge Village came out swinging at the sugar mill. That's when they suggested that the Tower Hill Facility was polluting their air with ash and smoke produced during the factory's cane milling operation. They also asserted that this ash was affecting their health, as well as the infrastructure of their homes.

Here's what Mac had to say on that topic:

Malcolm "Mac" McLachlan - VP, International Relations, ASR/BSI
"Part of our environmental compliance plan is to ensure that the participate matter that's coming from out of those chimneys fits within regulations. We have had a number of issues with the boilers over the years, and there are various different reasons for that. A lot of it is getting moisture in the boilers, and then, it erodes the system that was in place to control those emissions. So, we took a big decision a year or so back, that we were gonna completely change out that emission system in both boilers. It's a big, big project, again another 10-million-dollar project, and in this off-crop, we have installed a completely different system in one of the boilers. The next off-crop, we'll do the same in the other boiler. That's gonna reduce dramatically the participate matter. But, addressing your issue of Chan Pine Ridge, we have always been conscientious about meeting targets, particularly those that could have an impact on local environments. And as a result of that, we've done a number of different studies on the real impact of BELCOGEN on communities. In fact, part of the due diligence that we did for IDB lending here, was to do that. We have done airflow monitors to check at sensitive sites, such as Chan Pine Ridge and elsewhere. We've always been well within the regulated limits of those sensitive areas. I empathize with Chan Pine Ridge and other areas that do - and I've seen the ash. But, to be honest, the emissions project won't eradicate that problem because that ash is coming from a lot of different sources. We know that we've done some studies where we've checked what that ash is. We've done an analysis of it, and it doesn't have the components that you would expect coming from a high-pressure boiler that we have here. That said, we're doing our bit. We're ensuring that that we're well within all emission targets, and improving - even exceeding actually."

Consider the River

But, to protect Belize's territorial sea and its exclusive economic zone, the Minister responsible for the Environment wants Belizeans to start thinking about the negative impacts their actions can have on all the bodies of water that eventually flow into the sea.

Last Friday, Orlando Habet was engaging the press in a conversation about environmental impacts on the country's rivers. Here's what he had to say about some of the agricultural practices that have been harming these major waterways that flow out to the coastline.

Hon. Orlando "Landy" Habet - Minister of Sus. Dev., Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management
"There's are things that have been happening for ages, and possibly, we weren't aware of what we were doing. But it has to do somewhat with development. So, people say development brings problems, but one of the main issues that we've had, especially with rivers and their effect on the sea is river mining, especially in those areas that have sand and gravel. So, we take it out. It affects the flow. It starts putting a lot of siltation into the ocean. The siltation can reach the reef, starts affecting the coral, and then we have major problems. If you, go - maybe this river doesn't show it much, but if you go along the Belize River, you see the embankments falling in because there has been a lot of extraction of material from within the river. The river changes its shape, and then you see all the silt going in. But, we also have - because people have sought out, for the agriculture industry, the best land to produce their crops, and so, they know that the sandy loamy soils are the best soils, the most fertile soils, and that's where a lot of farming takes place. So, you have cattle production, agriculture production, you have the use of pesticides, herbicides, and so there is a lot of leachate into the soil. It goes into the groundwater; some go into the river. That goes into the ocean and affects the coral."

Channel 7