POND OF ST JEAN : WORKS HAVE STARTED … UNFORTUNATELY

POND OF ST JEAN : WORKS HAVE STARTED … UNFORTUNATELY

Located in the center of the island in a vast plain, the district of St-Jean has two important natural sites :

I- A beautiful bay whose beach has become over the time the busiest of the island;

II- A brackish pond of about 5 hectares, a remnant of an old lagoon, which sheltered until recently a remarkable biodiversity composed of one of the last mangroves of the island and an important avifaune gathering sedentary, migratory and erratic birds, like the pelican who used to eat there occasionally.

The geographical location of St Jean makes it the receptacle of a huge watershed (certainly the largest on the island) where flow millions of cubic meters of run-off water laden with sediments. This flow causes the siltation of the pond, itself causing the loss of much of the aquatic life.

But the pond is also the receptacle of wastewater, more or less well treated and a neighborhood whose urbanization has almost doubled over the past ten years …. As a result and as revealed in March 2016, by Pareto engineering consultant company charged by the Collectivité to analyze the impact of connecting the pond to the bay, “the pond of Saint-Jean is dysfunctional and does not constitute any more an element of the perennial natural space”.

Reconnecting the pond to the bay would likely relaunch the heart of the pond and its ecosystem. And we support it. But this can only be done once the causes of pollution of the pond under control, at the risk of also polluting the bay! This is also the warning issued by Pareto :

“The diagnosis and the evaluation of the present situation revealed a proven disturbance of the pond (in terms of water quality and sediment) with eutrophication phenomena and even dystrophy. These disturbances are mainly due to :
an ecological dysfunction of the pond (no connexion with the sea, filling of the pond and lack of oxygenation of the pond)
a consequent nutrient inputs (coming the watershed, mainly in the form of wastewater).

Therefore, it’s clear that simply remodeling the pond and its connexion with the sea will not be enough to restore optimal operation. In addition, failure to take these aspects into account will have potential health effects (bathing water contamination in Saint John Bay) and ecological impacts (degradation of the marine environment) “.

Part of the sludge laden with sediments was used for strengthening the banks

None of these warnings have resonated with the Collectivité which decided to follow the phasing of the works as originally planned. Therefore, in recent weeks, we have seen the dredging of the pond with the removal of hundreds of tons of polluted sludge laden with sediments, part of which has been used to strengthen the banks of the pond.


The laying of four pipes to reconnect the pond to the bay should begin soon. A replanting plan for mangroves, a doubling of the mangrove area are scheduled on the program, as well as an ecotourism layout around the pond.

For many, the situation will improve. But for how long ? If the sources of pollution do not disappear, the pond will be polluted again, but this time the bay will pay for it!



TO AVOID THIS, THREE ACTIONS MUST BE TAKEN TODAY :
  1. Improve watershed treatment conditions by bringing individual septic tanks up to standard (it is estimated that 71% of septic tanks in St Barth do not meet the standards)

  2. Manage known sources of pollution from commercial facilities: hotels, laundromat, car wash, municipal pool

  3. Impose the treatment of phosphates at the autonomous purification stations before any rejection whose beach has become over the time the busiest of the island;