A few brief rounds of discussion on environmental issues seemed to satisfy senators’ concerns about two Coastal Zone Management permit applications that passed through the Planning and Environmental Protection Committee this week and moved onto the full Senate body for approval.
Both permits would allow for the installation of infrastructure needed to support reverse-osmosis (RO) systems at two proposed St. Thomas developments. The systems, which testifiers said this week are critical to both projects, remove the brine from seawater to make potable water.
During a recent meeting on St. Thomas, Ritz Carlton Club developers Cabrita Partners/Lionstone Development laid out their plans for the construction of more than 60 condos and five single-family homes on the East End of St. Thomas and walked senators through the details of the permit, which allows for the installation of intake and outfall lines for the RO system in Great Bay, along with two swim platforms and a small swim pier in Muller Bay.
Asked about the impact to marine life in the area, Cabrita Partners attorney James Casner said the RO pipelines will avoid coral colonies, while the intake and discharge structures will be set up in uncolonized areas. Since the lines will cross through a "sparse" area of seagrass, plans are in place to move the beds to nearby sand pockets, he explained.
"And we’re talking square feet here, not acres," he said at this week’s Senate hearing.
The swim platforms and pier would be located in sandy areas and pose no threat to marine life, Casner said.
Voting to send the permit onto the full Senate with a favorable recommendations were Sens. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Carlton "Ital" Dowe, Shawn-Michael Malone, Sammuel Sanes and Patrick Simeon Sprauve. Committee member Sen. Michael Thurland was absent for the vote.
On the other side of the island, Botany Bay Partners proposes to separate its RO pipelines based on recommendations and comments from Planning and Natural Resources. The intake line will run 250 feet into Botany Bay, while the discharge line will run 500 feet offshore of Sandy Bay, according to the project’s environmental consultant William McComb.
The lines are made of reinforced rubber hose made by Goodyear, which is flexible and can "snake" around any sensitive marine areas, protecting any existing corals, which will be removed and re-planted if disturbed, he added.
The infrastructure for 41 estate-sized lots has already been laid for the Preserve at Botany Bay but the RO system is needed for the next phase of the development — an 84-room luxury hotel.
Getting the permit approved for the RO infrastructure will help pull in some financing for the project, testifiers said during this week’s meeting.
"I feel good about both permits," Malone, the committee’s chairman, said later. "Both companies have an excellent track record for using their properties in a sound environmental way."
