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NEPA still unsure of Black River fish kill cause
Kimone Thompson
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
THE National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) last Friday said it was not sure of the cause of the huge fish kill in St Elizabeth nearly three weeks after the hundreds of dead fish washed up on the shores of the Black River and its tributaries in the parish.
NEPA's acting investigator for the southern region, Keith Jones, told the Observer that fish and water samples collected from the river on the days immediately following the fish kill (March 12, 13 and 14) have been analysed but said the results were so far "inconclusive".
The water, he said, was tested for biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), acidity (pH) and total suspended solids.
"If the substance is found to be dunder, the BOD and COD will tend to be higher because it (dunder) eats up the oxygen," the NEPA source said. He added that the pH is also likely to exceed the ideal level if the tests prove that dunder was the cause of the fish kill.
According to Jones, the standards are 20 mg per litre for the BOD and the total suspended solids. The COD, in the meanwhile, should ideally be at 100 mg per litre and the pH should be anywhere between six and nine.
He said NEPA will be collaborating with another entity to determine the exact cause of the fish kill. He explained, however, that he was not in a position to disclose the name of second entity noting that a meeting between NEPA, representatives from the Appleton Sugar Estate and community members is planned for next week to discuss the tests and findings.
The fish kill sparked allegations from residents and business persons alike who live and work in Black River and the surroounding communities that the fish may have died as a result of dunder - dark-coloured by-product of rum distillation which smells like stale sugar - released in the river by Appleton. Dunder is known to deplete the oxygen levels in water.
Appleton's Chief Executive Officer Ian Mawell refuted the claim saying the dunder it produced was stored in large ponds which were sealed and therefore leak-proof.
Kimone Thompson
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
THE National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) last Friday said it was not sure of the cause of the huge fish kill in St Elizabeth nearly three weeks after the hundreds of dead fish washed up on the shores of the Black River and its tributaries in the parish.
NEPA's acting investigator for the southern region, Keith Jones, told the Observer that fish and water samples collected from the river on the days immediately following the fish kill (March 12, 13 and 14) have been analysed but said the results were so far "inconclusive".
The water, he said, was tested for biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), acidity (pH) and total suspended solids.
"If the substance is found to be dunder, the BOD and COD will tend to be higher because it (dunder) eats up the oxygen," the NEPA source said. He added that the pH is also likely to exceed the ideal level if the tests prove that dunder was the cause of the fish kill.
According to Jones, the standards are 20 mg per litre for the BOD and the total suspended solids. The COD, in the meanwhile, should ideally be at 100 mg per litre and the pH should be anywhere between six and nine.
He said NEPA will be collaborating with another entity to determine the exact cause of the fish kill. He explained, however, that he was not in a position to disclose the name of second entity noting that a meeting between NEPA, representatives from the Appleton Sugar Estate and community members is planned for next week to discuss the tests and findings.
The fish kill sparked allegations from residents and business persons alike who live and work in Black River and the surroounding communities that the fish may have died as a result of dunder - dark-coloured by-product of rum distillation which smells like stale sugar - released in the river by Appleton. Dunder is known to deplete the oxygen levels in water.
Appleton's Chief Executive Officer Ian Mawell refuted the claim saying the dunder it produced was stored in large ponds which were sealed and therefore leak-proof.
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