Officially it’s the St. Thomas East End Reserves (STEER); unofficially, it’s the island’s own water park playground, attracting thousands of fishermen, sailors, snorkelers and divers. Under any name, the area is in real danger of losing its crystal blue reputation to murky sediment laden with pollutants.
A coalition of private and federal and local government agencies have been working on a Watershed Assessment and Planning Project to come up with ways to protect the waters off St. Thomas’ East End, and they are inviting public input at open hearings next week.
The project is being conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, the V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources, and The Nature Conservancy.
The land area of study roughly includes Old Tutu, New Tutu, Tutu Valley, Anna’s Retreat, Bovoni, Mariendahl, Nadir, Frydenhoj, Nazareth and the coastal areas east of Bovoni dump to Cabrita Point.
In a 2010 report, DPNR declared the waters in Benner Bay, Mangrove Lagoon, Great Bay, Cowpet Bay, Nazareth Bay and Jersey Bay – practically all of STEER – to be “impaired.” Problems ranged from the presence of fecal coliform to turbidity and dissolved oxygen.
The causes were found to be varied and included urban runoff, discharge from private and municipal land-based sewer systems, as well as from marinas and boats, erosion and changes in tidal circulation.
You don’t have to look through a microscope to see the effects. Ann Marie Hoffman, project director at The Nature Conservancy on St. Thomas, said there is plenty of anecdotal evidence of problems.
Some boaters now have to wait for high tide to enter and exit East End marinas because sediment has lowered the water level so much.
Project leaders want public input. Hearings will be held on Feb. 28 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Gladys 18 Karat in Nadir (next to Tropical Marine, across from Nadir ballfield) and on Feb. 29 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Curriculum Center, Tutu (next to the fire station).
Field crews will also be in the watershed from Feb. 27 to March 2 looking for restoration opportunities and to talk with local residents and businesses about stormwater, pollution problems and practical solutions.
For more information visit www.horsleywitten.com/STEERwatersheds or by contacting Hoffman at The Nature Conservancy at 626-6773, or Anne Kitchell with the Horsley Witten Group at 508-833-6600.
