The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS in the Chesapeake subdivision are claiming that a nearby waste sewage plant is a health threat to their environment and the area in which they live.

Grand Bahama businessman Shuffle Hepburn, a resident and representative for a group of 34 homeowners in Chesapeake on Midshipman Drive, said they are subjected to overwhelming odours almost daily, especially at night.

The plant, built in 2000 by the Grand Bahama Utility Company Ltd, handles all the raw sewage from the hotels in the Lucaya area.

“Raw sewage spills can be found on the ground at the plant every day,” claimed Mr Hepburn, who reported being awakened by strong odours during the early hours of December 29, 30, and 31 last year.

He said the problem has persisted for the past seven years, and their complaints to the GBUC have been ignored.

The Tribune contacted Nakera Wilchcombe, environmental manager at the Grand Bahama Port Authority on Thursday, but she was not available for comments up to press time.

The Department of Environmental Health has not received any complaints about the plant.

Mr Hepburn’s residence is located a few hundred yards from the plant. He says persons passing his residence often ask him about the foul odour.

He is concerned about the possibility of the spread of disease since the plant handles raw waste from several major hotels in the area.

“In 2014, there was the threat of Ebola, which is still a threat to the world today, and there is no conclusive evidence that raw sewage on the ground, or in open tanks, cannot become a vehicle for the spread of the deadly Ebola disease,” he said.

Mr Hepburn reported that there are a lot of mosquitos at the plant in the morning and evenings. He fears that the plant could cause an outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases, such as Chikungunya, Dengue Fever, and Malaria in Grand Bahama.

Residents of Chesapeake were very upset over the proposed construction of the plant.

In 2001, representatives of the Grand Bahama Utility Company had met with residents of the area to inform them of their plans to build a sewerage plant.

“Many residents were outraged at the company’s plans to construct a sewerage plant in their backyards,” Mr Hepburn recalled. “When they voiced their strong displeasure, officials told them that they were not seeking their permission, but merely informing them of their plans to construct the plant.”

Mr Hepburn said they were told that they would not able to see, hear, or smell the plant. He now claims that none of it is true.

“While you can only barely see the green monster through the bushes, you can hear it in the wee hours of the morning and you can certainly smell the plant when the wind blows,” he said.