Abaco caves under threats?

[CaveBuddy95]

Hi all,
I stumbled upon this documentary mentioning the future power plant planned on the island of Abaco. Could not stop but thinking of the caves there...and the manglar, reefs that are so preserved still!

Here is the video

I hope this is not going to happen as the aquifer is seriously threatened by the project and potential contaminants.

Share your info and pass along this video


Saludos,

[Superlyte27]

I've worked as a diver in nearly every nuke plant in the U.S.
I don't worry about the "potential contaminants" to the caves in abaco.

[EEL]

I've worked as a diver in nearly every nuke plant in the U.S.
I don't worry about the "potential contaminants" to the caves in abaco.

The trouble is this is not a clean nuke plant. The Abaco power plant will burn #6 fuel oil. This is pretty nasty stuff. The Clifton Pier power plant in New Providence also burns #6 oil and has a history of spills. Reportedly more than a million gallons of oil have recently been recovered from the caves below the cliffs. The clean up costing over a million dollars. I agree the current power situation in Abaco needs modernizing, but I am not sure the location and fuel choice here is ideal. I would be more in favor of a well run waste to energy plant or even as you suggested a nuke plant. As far as Abacos caves go the power plant is not too close to any of the caves that I am aware of like Dans/Saw Mill, but there may be others that I do not know. I am sure if there are any caves near by Brian will know and work to protect them.

Cheers,

Mark

[Brian Kakuk]

The trouble is this is not a clean nuke plant. The Abaco power plant will burn #6 fuel oil. This is pretty nasty stuff. The Clifton Pier power plant in New Providence also burns #6 oil and has a history of spills. Reportedly more than a million gallons of oil have recently been recovered from the caves below the cliffs. The clean up costing over a million dollars. I agree the current power situation in Abaco needs modernizing, but I am not sure the location and fuel choice here is ideal. I would be more in favor of a well run waste to energy plant or even as you suggested a nuke plant. As far as Abacos caves go the power plant is not too close to any of the caves that I am aware of like Dans/Saw Mill, but there may be others that I do not know. I am sure if there are any caves near by Brian will know and work to protect them.

Cheers,

Mark

Hi All, thanks for the concern. Some of the information sited is true, however most is not, or at the least is out dated. Yes there is in fact a new powerplant which is nearly completed near Wilson City (about 15 miles north of some of the most amazing caves on earth). This power plant should go on line around August as Abaco has severely outgrown it's power supply and we have power outages nearly every day.

When first concieved, the power plant was supposed to burn heavy oil, which is in fact very bad for the environment with high sulfer exhaust, major spill issues, and many other really bad things. However after many public meetings in which the residents and environmental NGO's of Abaco demanded that an alternative fuel be used, the government has now notified us that the power plant has been retrofitted to burn standard diesel which is the primary fuel source of nearly every power plant in the Bahamas. Of course, in a perfect world, an even better power supply would be used however a nuclear plant is simply not an alternative for a small, dispersed (700 islands and cays) country like the Bahamas.

The island of Abaco is the most environmentally educated island in the country and we have many watchdog agencies who create a ruccus any time sometihg like this comes up. The unfortunate thing in this case is that the government went full speed ahead on this powerplant without consulting locals (no town meetings), and without completing and environmental impact assessment prior to constuction. This is what is sticking in the craw of Abaco residents. Sort of an "easier to get forgivness than permission" scenario. Not that the Bahamian government needs anyone's permission to build a power plant on government land, but we (resdents) believe that the power company knew there would be environmental issues and chose to hurry up with construction before anything was investigated.

I was asked by the power company (after the construction was nearly complete) to visit the site and give some input on the local fracture system and some holes that were filled in during construction of the main road to the power plant. The Antiquities Monuments and Museums Corporation/National Museum of the Bahamas was also brought in to consult on some of the karst areas on the property between the power plant and the dock area where the fuel will be pumped up to the facility. I am unable to discuss the findings.

In my opinion, the best case scenario for this issue is that it will possibly result in some new legislation concerning in-filling of ANY karst feature (caves, sinkholes, banana holes, blue holes etc.) prior to them being investigated by the Antiquities Monuments and Museums Corporation, Ministry of Water and Sewerage, and the Bahamas Science and Technologies Commission (BEST). Our request to the government is that any development in an area of karst (most of the country) that includes infilling be done after scientific investigations have been completed. We will see how it all falls out. We are trying to use a bad scenario to force better legislation in the future.

Again, thanks for all of your concern. We need power here badly, but the residents of Abaco are fighting for the least invasive method for that power that we can get.

On a side note, Dan's, Ralph's, Nancy's Caves and Sawmill Sink are far away from this issue and hopefully by this time next year, will actually be a national park..... The South Abaco Blue Holes Conservation Area and no development will ever take place in that area. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Safe diving,

Brian

[EEL]

Brian,

Thanks for the reply and update. I am very glad to here they have switched to #2 oil. It is indeed much cleaner burning. As I said Great Abaco does need an updated power grid, and I hope this is achieved with the environment as a primary consideration.

Thank you for all you have done to protect and make accessible some of the most beautiful places on earth.

Mark

[OFG-1]

Brian;

Did they resolve the cooling issue? Are they still planning to pump water out from below the fresh water lens, and then re inject it after cooling the plant?

[Brian Kakuk]

Brian;

Did they resolve the cooling issue? Are they still planning to pump water out from below the fresh water lens, and then re inject it after cooling the plant?

Yes, that is still the plan as far as I know.

[CaveBuddy95]

Thanks for your input Brian.
I was hoping you'd come with some interesting info.

Although using sea water for cooling sounds like a good idea, it appears to be very bad for coastal sea life.

According to Jim McKinney, an environmental policy specialist for the California Energy Commission.
The practice, known as “once-through cooling,” represents “the single greatest and unaddressed environmental issue associated with power plant operation in the state.."

On the San Diego Union Tribune:
" The ocean water is used as a kind of radiator fluid to help cool the systems that generate 40 percent of the state's electricity. But the practice has killed billions of fish eggs, larvae and other marine life. Such depletion of the ocean food chain – 80 square miles of coastal habitat are affected daily – has gone on for decades......a majority of scientists agree that using seawater for cooling power plants is damaging the coastal ecosystem, especially at bays and estuaries, which are critical nursery habitats for fish." By Terry Rodgers

As much as power is needed, the fragile ecosystems of the Bahamas are threaten by their own popularity.

Hopefully it will be done to the best of both, resident and wild life!
Thanks again Brian

Saludos,

[Brian Kakuk]

Thanks for your input Brian.
I was hoping you'd come with some interesting info.

Although using sea water for cooling sounds like a good idea, it appears to be very bad for coastal sea life.

According to Jim McKinney, an environmental policy specialist for the California Energy Commission.
The practice, known as “once-through cooling,” represents “the single greatest and unaddressed environmental issue associated with power plant operation in the state.."

On the San Diego Union Tribune:
" The ocean water is used as a kind of radiator fluid to help cool the systems that generate 40 percent of the state's electricity. But the practice has killed billions of fish eggs, larvae and other marine life. Such depletion of the ocean food chain – 80 square miles of coastal habitat are affected daily – has gone on for decades......a majority of scientists agree that using seawater for cooling power plants is damaging the coastal ecosystem, especially at bays and estuaries, which are critical nursery habitats for fish." By Terry Rodgers

As much as power is needed, the fragile ecosystems of the Bahamas are threaten by their own popularity.

Hopefully it will be done to the best of both, resident and wild life!
Thanks again Brian

Saludos,

Hi Jason,
Yes, you are correct, this type of cooling in general is always detrimental to local environment when the water is taken directly from the sea and placed right back into the sea (usually a local bay or estuary). It changes many things due to an increased water temperature including algae as well as changing migration destinations for marine life such as manatees etc.

The cooling water procedures for the Abaco water plant will be a little bit different. They are actually using deep wells in the limestone to bring sea water up through the fresh water lens, supposedly without disturbing it, and then after using it as cooling water, re-injecting it well below the fresh water lens deep into the limestone again. Our water temperature at those depths is around 74 degrees all year round, so it will be interesting to see if there are any changes locally within the slump fault fracture that runs between the power plant and blue holes off shore that are associated with it.

I don't believe anyone has ever done anything like this before, where caves and fractures are so close, so it will be a serious science experiment. ) :

Safe diving,
Brian

[CaveBuddy95]

Yes, it will be interesting to follow that closely! Which I'm sure you will.
There is a nice article here that talks a bit more about it and has some comments posted by Abaconians (??)

Oh well, I worked in New Providence for a year before moving to Mexico and now that I am a cave diver, hope to be able to enjoy the pristine caves of Abaco one of this days!
Let's keep a close eye on this matter!


Saludos,