South Ocean EIA Says Environmental Impact Mimimal:
By Juan McCartney -
Nassau, Bahamas:

The economic benefits of the New South Ocean Development outweigh any perceived socio-economic drawbacks of the change in environmental conditions in the southwestern area of New Providence, according to the environmental impact assessment for the 377-acre development.

The EIA was completed by the Puerto Rico-based firm, Environmental Resources Management (ERM).

The EIA states that any negative impact to the environment would be "negligible".

It says the biggest change to the marine environment will be the dredging of at least 16 acres of land to create an inland marina, which is to be the centrepiece of the proposed 650-room hotel.

According to the EIA, the dredging of the land and the expansion of the water basin will involve the removal of reefs from the area.

In order to support marine life, the resort will be growing reefs from artificial pods as well as moving reefs from other locations in The Bahamas.

The EIA says that the use of artificial reefs is "planned to reduce scour at the foot of coastal structures, reduce siltation of the access channel for the marina and reduce turbidity at the beaches, tourist attraction and habitat restoration".

The EIA goes on to state that "the areas where the dredging will take place will be surveyed for live coral communities, which will be transplanted onto the artificial reef units, further reducing the impact of the dredging operations" caused by the creation of the proposed inland marina.

The study estimates that the artificial reefs will be rapidly populated with fish and along with transplanted corals, "form part of a thriving reef ecosystem".

Managing Director of the New South Ocean Development Group Roger Stein said at a recent town meeting about the development that he has been informed that the process will not be harmful to the environment.

"I’m not a marine expert, but the gentlemen we have hired…who have done work on the islands of The Bahamas and many other islands have indicated to us that we would have to actually destroy very few [to no reefs]," Mr. Stein said.

He said the purpose of the pods is to protect the beaches, grow additional vegetation and attract aquatic life.

"I have seen videotape of this and read studies where it happens rather quickly," Mr. Stein said.

He said the developers plan to expand the beach surrounding the resort, but he was not clear about where the sand would come from for the additional beach.

"There are a number of different opportunities to do that, but I couldn’t really [say] at the moment," Mr. Stein said.

The EIA states that the plan for the new beach is to create a "headland control stabilized beach" that will remain in "static equilibrium".

In essence, the beach would not depend on external sources of sand, once developed.

The sand for the proposed site, according to the EIA, will come from the dredging for the marina.

During last week’s town meeting, Minister of Public Works Dr. Earl Deveaux commented on the feasibility of creating and naturally maintaining a beach.

"It is possible to re-nourish, enhance and grow beaches in The Bahamas, depending on how you locate headlands or how you deal with the ebb and flow of the tide. We don’t propose to become [like] Miami Beach where we constantly pump the bottom of the ocean to sustain our beaches," he said.

"The proposal here is quite feasible and sustainable because there is a drift of sand on that part of the island and if you trap it then it won’t sink into the Tongue of the Ocean and end up somewhere in the Dominican Republic."

The EIA does not detail the amount of utilities the mixed-use luxury resort will consume, but an official at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) recently told the Bahama Journal that as part of its Integrated Resource Plan, BEC has projected the growth it needs to undertake in order to satisfy the power needs of the development.

The development is projected to contribute almost $4 billion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product over a 20 year period, according to Mr. Stein.

The plan also involves the development of a casino, a world-class golf course, a tennis training facility and a 2,500-seat amphitheatre.

31 August 2007