Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water…
The whole idea behind (or at least the presumed idea behind) cleaning up Cruz Bay Beach is to make it a swimming beach. Now DPNR, the very folks pushing the plan, say it may not be safe to swim there.
The agency regularly tests water quality at 43 beaches across all three USVIs, including 8 on St. John, and posts the weekly results on its USVI Division of Environmental Protection Website. And Cruz Bay Beach failed the latest tests, the only beach out of 43 that did. DPNR warns of an elevated health risk because of an increased concentration of bacteria. It’s the first time in a long time any beach as failed the water quality tests, though there was a general warning about coastal waters during all the rain in October because of runoff.
Don’t read too much into the warning. Unless Cruz Bay starts failing the tests every week.
December 10th, 2007 08:35
I’d swim in it. I’m originally from NJ, you know. We thrive in that kind of stuff!
December 10th, 2007 09:16
Clean it up!
December 10th, 2007 09:34
“Well I LOVE that dirty water…ooooh, Cruz Bay your my home.”
I wish!
December 10th, 2007 10:08
I swam there last trip a few months ago. I swam near the dingy dock right in front of High Tide Restaurant, where I noticed the pipes coming in on the ground. I didn’t think that they could be sewage pipes, but learned later they are. The ocean floor in that area feels gooey soft- not a good gooey soft but a gross gooey soft. At the time I remember thinking it felt like I was walking on crap, but I still swam there. When I later learned I was walking on crap, it horrified me. I will never swim on that beach again, and I used to swim in the most polluted river in the world- the Potomac.
December 10th, 2007 10:50
Of course there’ll be harmful bacteria there if that’s where sewage is being dumped. Why doesn’t the EPA work to get it cleaned up? I wasn’t planning on swimming there anyway, but certainly won’t ever consider it now…yuk!
December 10th, 2007 12:05
I still think it odd that the powers that be wanted the beach to be a swimming beach. I think that was their excuse to get the boats gone and clean the area up……
December 10th, 2007 12:14
hey! that little purse wasn’t there first thing this morning, was it?????
I want a Bongo easter egg!
December 10th, 2007 14:28
Are we really surpridsd by this finding?!!
December 10th, 2007 20:52
I don’t mean to add fuel to a fire- but I was told by a local professional who shall go unnamed never to swim in an area like Coral Bay harbour or ANYWHERE there are a lot of live-aboard sailboats in a bay. The reason why is that most(#-?) of these live-aboards are dumping their sewage and who only knows what else overboard. Hey - that is a lot easier than taking the sewage and waste to shore and responsibly disposing of it.
December 10th, 2007 21:30
What comes out of that big pipe by the dock is runoff from rain on the roads. Anything on the streets ends up in the harbor! Sewage is treated and pumped out to sea beyond where the barges come in. I would never swim in Cruz Bay. After heavy rains many of the beaches will have a higher bacteria count but will dissipate soon after.
December 12th, 2007 12:03
Maybe they could put that in the Grande Bay brochure- something about enjoying the beautiful, clean water- that will cost extra for you! LOL! laugh out loud FOCL! fall off camel laughing hee hee ha ha