THE Jamaica Observer continues this week to examine the pressures placed on public infrastructure as the island’s largest urban areas of Kingston, St Andrew and St Catherine see an increase in population. This week our focus is on sewage and waste management, with networks receiving high grades from National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) for some indicators but a failing grade for others. The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) is also expressing concern.

NEPA, in an update provided to the Caribbean Business Report, outlined that Phase 1 of the Soapberry Sewage Treatment Plant — the municipal sewage treatment plant that was commissioned in 2008 and which has been accepting wastewater (sewage) flows from communities in Kingston, St Andrew and sections of St Catherine — has secured a passing grade in three categories of assessment but has failed in two.

The plant is operated by Central Wastewater Treatment Limited (CWTL) on a licence — 2015-14017-EL00122 B and C — approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA)/NEPA.

The facility is licensed for a daily flow of 75,000m3/day for the current phase (Phase 1) and is designed to serve a population of 256,000 spanning Portmore, Caymanas Estate, and the Kingston and St Andrew areas.

The CWTL is mandated by conditions of the environmental licence to sample treated effluent at least twice per month and report on the quality of the same quarterly.

Returns from the reports and NEPA monitoring over the period January 2019 – March 2021 indicate an 89.4 per cent compliance grading for biochemical/biological oxygen demand (BOD: 93/104 samples complied with the NRCA discharge standard of 20mg/L)

A 91.3 compliance rate for total suspended solids (TSS: 94/103 results complied) and a 95.2 per cent compliance rate for chemical oxygen demand (COD: 99/104 were compliant with the NRCA discharge of 100mg/L standard and 100 per cent for the pH (level of acidity or alkalinity), with the standard range of 6-9 in all samples. Phosphates (PO4-P) were 90.4 per cent compliant (94/104) with the standard of 4mg/L.

Indicators on which testing showed failures were a compliance rate of 16.3 per cent for faecal coliform (FC: 17/104 samples were compliant with the NRCA discharge standard of 200MPN/100mL). Total nitrogen (TN) was 6.8 per cent compliant, that is, 7/103 samples meeting the discharge standard of 10mg/L.

Theresa Rodriguez Moodie of Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) told the Caribbean Business Report, “I have indeed heard reports that water quality in the Kingston Harbour has improved and that is largely due to Soapberry. This has been reported by NEPA but I have not seen the data myself so I cannot comment on this specifically.”

She outlined that JET has received several complaints from residents in Portmore of broken sewer pipes resulting in raw sewage emptying directly into canals.

“The most recent complaint in August came from a resident in Armada Court. The matter was reported to NWC and NEPA. NWC informed us and the resident that they were aware of the incident and would be fixing the pipes.”

Rodriguez Moodie noted, however, this is not the first time it has happened. Ageing infrastructure is apparently one of the reasons for breaks in the sewage pipes.

She further notes, “Waste management is still a problem in the Corporate Area. The main source of garbage that enters the Kingston Harbour are from the gullies that run through Kingston. Many of the informal/ lower-income communities have problems with waste collection — roads are narrow and trucks have difficulties entering the communities for garbage collection.”

There is a waste minimisation programme under the National Solid Waste Management Strategy. NEPA says the Government of Jamaica is also now conducting studies and identifying financing to construct Soapberry phase two, thereby expanding the facility to accept additional backwater flows and improve treatment.

Mona GeoInformatics Institute, with the support of the GraceKennedy Foundation, is also engaged in a technical assessment of what it will take to reverse conditions in the Kingston Harbour.

This forms part of a wider initiative with other organisations such as UWI’s Centre for Marine Sciences, The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) and the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) to formulate an effective remediation plan for cleaning up and maintaining the harbour.