EIGHT years ago Valerie Roberts answered the call for Jamaicans in the Diaspora to invest in the island with a bold vision to purchase and transform 112 acres of lush river-adjacent land in Broadgate, St Mary, into an eco-tourism haven. However, that dream now lies in ruin.

Roberts claims that the unauthorised removal of material from her property, which runs parallel to the Wag Water River, has eroded her land and shattered her original plan plus destroyed an alternative multimillion-dollar sale deal that had already been in motion.

She told the Jamaica Observer that she was informed — unofficially, since she is yet to receive formal notice as the owner of the land — that the operation is a “river training” exercise authorised by National Works Agency (NWA). What has resulted from this exercise, which she said has been ongoing for months, has left her with several unanswered questions.

Meanwhile, NWA confirmed that it granted permission for the works, but maintains that the exercise is a “de-silting” operation to prevent flooding.

De-silting is the removal of fine silt and sediment that has been collected from a riverbed in order to restore its natural capacity.

The agency told the Sunday Observer that it will investigate to determine whether the excavation crossed into private property.

A frustrated Roberts told the Sunday Observer that she purchased the land in 2017 with a grand plan, but since then a series of incidents have dramatically altered the geography of the property, each one chipping away at her vision. The most recent incidents, she said, occurred just months apart: One in January and another, ongoing since April.

Roberts, a dual citizen who lives in the United States, said both operations were brought to her attention by the caretaker for her property.

The January incident was reported to the police and the Mines and Geology Division under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining. Investigations later confirmed that illegal sand mining was taking place at the location, and the authorities moved in to shut it down.

But the April activity, green-lighted by the NWA, has continued unchecked, Roberts said, adding that, unlike a nearby school and the local police, she was never notified about the operation. She is also insisting that she did not grant permission for the works to take place on her land.

Despite reporting the matter via e-mail to the Mines and Geology Division and the NWA as early as May this year, Roberts said she has been left with more questions than answers.

“The [department] of Mines and Geology, they did respond stating that they got it [correspondence], and [that] the commissioner was out of the office, and they were going to start the investigation to see what’s going on there. During all this time, it just kept getting worse.

“They kept coming onto the land, digging up the land. I have the pictures of before and after, where the river was, and where they are right now. The school is there, but they’re endangering the children coming back in September. [There is] also a National Water Commission pump house right there,” she told the Sunday Observer.

Roberts acknowledged that, prior to her purchase, the former owner had granted permission for certain operations on the property. However, she emphasised that since acquiring ownership, no one has approached her to seek consent for any activities on the land.

In addition to her initial report, Roberts said she made two follow-up calls to the NWA. During one of the conversations, she said she was asked to provide her information and was told she would receive a callback; a call that, to date, has not come.

“The bigger problem that [it] poses now, apart from the destruction of my property, again we’re talking about the integrity of the school itself, the erosion that’s going to be happening, because each time they come in with what they’re doing, the river is getting wider and wider because they’re digging out everything, and it just keeps spreading… Also, there’s a bridge that leads to the school, eventually they are changing the water flow in that riverbed and that bridge is going to be compromised as well,” said Roberts, her voice laced with concern.

When the Sunday Observer visited the site about 11:00 am last Monday, an excavator was seen removing sediment from the section of the Wag Water River bordering Roberts’ property. A truck, appearing to be loaded with material taken from the river, was also observed nearby. Farther along the opposite side of the river, another truck and additional heavy machinery were positioned in the middle of a dirt path leading to the main road.

Roberts estimates that about two acres of her property have been removed due to unauthorised operations. She showed the
Sunday Observer a copy of the title for the land which brandished her name and the boundaries of the property. Roberts also showed the Sunday Observer e-mail threads of conversations with herself, the NWA, and the Mines and Geology Division.

“The Jamaican Government is always tooting that they’re open for business and you’re seeking foreign investors, and yet here we are coming in and this is the way we’re being treated. Everybody’s turning a blind eye to this. It is not right!” said a very frustrated Roberts.

The property owner shared that when her plans to establish an eco-tourism operation did not materialise, she listed the property for sale but the de-silting operations are affecting the transaction. The 112-acre property was listed for $120 million.

“I’ve been getting tonnes of international investors flying in to look at that property. We got an offer on that property and, because of this going on right now, that offer just fell through,” she told the Sunday Observer.

Roberts is now threatening legal action and demanding that the section of her property that was destroyed be replenished.

Roger Allen, a real estate broker acting on behalf of Roberts, shared with the Sunday Observer an e-mail sent to the commissioner of the Mines and Geology Division, Roy Nicholson, dated August 22, 2024, about a separate incident involving unauthorised excavation of material from the property. Another e-mail, dated May 15, 2025, was sent to an individual associated with the Mines and Geology Department, with Nicholson copied, highlighting the current issue.

“What is happening at the property is not a two-day thing, and it’s not a last week thing. It’s something that has been going on for a while, and the owner has gotten the courage to speak up,” said Allen.

He said the operations are a major issue, with one potential buyer expressing concern that if they purchase the property and there is no one to oversee it, they might be faced with similar issues securing the land.

Last week, when the Sunday Observer contacted the commissioner of mines and geology he said is not aware of any report sent about unauthorised operations in Broadgate, St Mary. However, he said that he is aware that the NWA issued approval for “river training” at the specified location earlier this year.

“I think the discussion was with NWA for them to say, ‘Yes.’ Once you have the people anywhere in the area, they need to speak to the owner of the land, and have the documents showing where they need to go and where they’re not to go,” Nicholson said.

He further noted that if notice was given to the school, one ought to have been sent to the owner of the land in question as well.

The commissioner said he will follow up with the relevant individuals to see if an investigation was done and take further action to assess the situation.

A document was obtained by the Sunday Observer, dated February 2, 2025, bearing the NWA logo and a reference number under the subject ‘Permission to de-silt sections of the Wag Water River – St Mary’.

Manager, communication and customer services at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, confirmed last Friday that approval had been granted by the agency to de-silt a section of the Wag Water River.

“What we’re doing is, we’re de-silting a section of the Wag Water River where the embankment closer to the road is being threatened because of the build-up of silt in the channel. It is a usual process that we engage in, between ourselves and the Mines and Geology Division. We will have the affected rivers entered and the material is removed so that the storm water flows or the regular flows can happen in such a way as not to cause the embankment to be threatened,” Shaw explained.

He confirmed that he is aware of reports that Roberts’ property has been affected by the activities.

“We are not at this point disputing anything to do with property ownership in the space, because you do have situations where water channels flow through properties, but it still gives a responsibility for Government to ensure that in those situations where a channel… — or there could be impediments in a channel to cause problems — we still have to enter. In this case, the road through the junction is what is likely to be impacted by the build-up of silt, and so we have to treat with it,” Shaw told the Sunday Observer.

He said the NWA is prepared to visit the location and have its surveyors check to identify the boundaries. He further stated that the NWA plans to have Roberts, or a representative of her choosing, on scene to properly determine where the private property starts and ends. When the process is completed, he said the NWA will address any concerns in respect of the matter.

When asked if notice was given to Roberts about the operation, he said he could not confirm which individuals were notified about the operations, but reiterated that permission was granted.

“There isn’t a hard and fast rule as it relates to this situation, because typically when we’re doing de-silting works, anybody who has property in the space they are usually very happy because their land is usually also being impacted, meaning it is being eroded, and so there is always that agreement that [they] welcome the effort because they know that the process will also help to protect the value of their interest,” Shaw said.

“I can’t speak to what this individual might have been contemplating or is contemplating, but it is something that we have done many times over, and we never really had a problem, but this one has been raised, and so we intend to treat with it [in] a certain way,” he told the Sunday Observer.

When pressed on whether notice has to be given to property owners who might be impacted by an NWA-sanctioned operation, he reiterated that “there is no hard and fast rule”.

Shaw said, generally, the NWA would involve the people who have an interest in the space and get buy-in from the property owners or anybody who has any interest in the land.

“I can’t tell you that this individual has not been [notified] because my information is that this individual doesn’t live in Jamaica. She lives overseas, so I don’t know if some other person might have been told and she never got the message, there is also that possibility,” he said.

Shaw also said that there was no contract issued by the Government for sand mining. He said the NWA engaged a company to, “at no cost to the Government”, de-silt and to ensure that the embankment is protected.

He further noted that the NWA was involved in overseeing the project, and there was no specific timeline given for the operations.

“Depending on how the equipment works, you cannot give a timeline,” said Shaw.

He noted that rainfall and other factors can impact the process, but typically, the hope is to have the activities completed “as quickly as possible”.

Residents in the area told the Sunday Observer that the “de-silting” activities have been ongoing for about two months, starting about 9:00 am daily and running until 6:00 pm sometimes. They complained that the operations are affecting their lives.

“It’s summer, so we a go want to go to the river and bathe. The time is hot and them a dirty up the water, and it’s the one little water we have. We have to wait until six o’clock in the evening, when the work is done, before we can go to the river. What can go so?” said one resident who requested anonymity.

She added that, while the community has piped water, many residents prefer to use the water from the river to wash, and the operations make this difficult.

“Them a mess up the water… We can’t go down there because the water is dirty. It muddy bad. We have to go down there at like 5:30 in the morning before the river starts getting dirty, and then we wash out what we have to wash out and come back,” she explained.

Another resident, who identified herself as Carmen, said she has safety concerns.

“How them a dig it, any time the river come down, we can wash out,” she told the Sunday Observer.

She said she has lived in the area for 30 years and grew up using the river for domestic and recreational activities. Carmen added that residents of the community would also host parties on the embankment, but have stopped due to the “de-silting” activities.

Another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said her husband and his friends would typically conduct diving activities in the water, but they had to stop.

“The other day they tried it and them couldn’t see anything because the water was murky. When they come back, them full a dirt,” she said.

“They need to stop it,” she added.

A truck, seemingly loaded with material extracted from the Wag Water River in Broadgate, St Mary, near Valerie Roberts’ property, makes its way through the river bed toward the embankment. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

A photo dated April 25, 2025 shows the original condition of the Wag Water River that runs along Valerie Roberts’ property in Broadgate, St Mary. Also pictured in the distance is Mahoe Hill Primary School.

A photo dated April 25, 2025 shows the original condition of the Wag Water River that runs along Valerie Roberts’ property.

A photo taken on July 21, 2025, shows the current state of the Wag Water River as it runs alongside Valerie Roberts’ property in Broadgate, St Mary. In the distance is Mahoe Hill Primary School. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)