I am certainly not an expert but it seems to me that dredging is a temporary maneuver at best, not a lasting solution.
What we really need is the following: Mooring laws, enforced water sports operations’ permits tied to mechanical inspections, elimination of all plastic and foam material/supplies on the beaches, on-going beach clean-up programs by all hotels and GOA.
But here we are confronted with a fait accompli, here, eat it, dredging.
The dreaded dredging was postponed since February 9th, because of high season considerations, and it is back to hound us now.
WTF? Don’t you have anything better to do with ATA’s money.
The only one benefiting from this enormous hoopla is the contractor who, judging from the company’s name, is also the operator of a fish restaurant in a modest local shipyard, at the Veradero marina.
I spoke to a great number of people. The response is consistently NAY,
The SIX months plan to physically remove the fine slippery gook under toes – muck, silt, snot – the result of organic material build-up in the warm water, in ridiculous.
Where is the scientific data, the research indicating that dredging is the way to go??
You were supposed to test and publish the results.
Did you test?
You certainly did not publish.
The dredging will stir the water resulting in a milky silty surface for miles, coating fish and corals, depriving them from oxygen. You know what happens when living organisms are breaded with flour-like sticky coats.
Most people I spoke to said: “Leave it alone, it’s seasonal, it comes and goes, let nature take care of itself.”
Better take care of the Bubali water overflow running into the ocean below Phoenix responsible for most of the contamination.
It is not smart to tinker with the beach at the start of Hurricane season and Turtle Nesting season.
What’s wrong with you people, why fix something that ain’t broke?
Let’s go back in history:
Most Palm Beach Resorts received a letter from the ministry of tourism informing them that effective Feb 9th portions of their beach will be closed for six weeks at the time for dredging, paid for by GOA who committed to do it, contractor paid, machinery on standby.
The shocking news was met with a mix of reactions from over-my-dead-body, to ok, shrug, but-not-now.
It’s May and tourism is still rocking, the potential upset caused to guests is off the chart; 2018 is a banner year, don’t interrupt momentum by useless maintenance.
Besides, where is the science that says that indeed dredging is the way to go?
And what is the long term environmental impact of dredging of that kind?
Surfside was recently dredged, did the situation there improve?
We have more questions than answers.
As a rule, decisions of this magnitude must be taken in consultation with the involved partners otherwise the road to hell and financial ruin is paved with good intentions.
