A salt pond under surveillance

Water sanitation is a necessity and as we know Saint Martin still has a long way to go in this domain. The Etablissement des Eaux et L’Assainissement de Saint-Martin (EEASM) is responsible for this area, and acts together with the Collectivité on related projects, notably the implementation of the Sanitation Master Plan, through construction of water treatment plants. Well aware of these realities, and the fact that the protected areas that they are responsible for should not suffer in any way from the development of such equipment, the Nature Reserve, Manager of the Conservatoire du littoral sites, is consulted by the EEASM before the launching of any of their projects. A first water treatment plant was built by the EEASM for the sector of Oyster Pond, and went into operation in March 2013. After a 6 month observation period, the waste from the plant is being emptied into the Baie Lucas pond; the pretty salt pond located on the bend, on the right-hand side of the road between Coralita and the entrance of Oyster Pond. The Manager monitors the project since its conception and the expulsion of waste into the salt pond was only authorized once an impact study had been carried out. The Water Act ensures and imposes different measures to be certain that there is minimum impact on the environment. The Nature Reserve has included this site in their monthly monitoring of birds in the salt ponds. Furthermore, the EEASM must ensure that the practices used are the most qualitative possible. A scientific study of the waste and the salt pond will be carried out every six months, in order to monitor the quality of the water. The partnership, made up of the Nature Reserve, the Conservatoire du Littoral and the EEASM, was formed with the objective of conserving the condition of this salt pond. Vigilance needs to be maintained for the years to come.