Jaco Beach In Danger Of Becoming Unhealthy – That’s the bad news, the good news is that action is being taken.

The sea water is suitable for swimming; however, river mouths have become sewers and something urgent has to be done.

Eric Sobe, an American tourist visiting Jaco Beach, needed just a few hours and no water tests to come to the same conclusion as the microbiologists from the Sanitation Institute. He was walking barefooted on the beach, when he got to the Copey river mouth, he did not dare to cross the water. He preferred to go back.

There is a problem here close to the rivers. Microbiologist analysis from Costa Rican A&A Lab concluded that the seawater in Jaco Beach is suitable for swimming, but the mouths of four small rivers are highly polluted with fecal waste, they are unhealthy to swim in and they are threatening to pollute the ocean soon if preventive measures are not taken immediately.

Water suitable for swimming should not have more than 240 fecal coliforms for each 100 millilitres of liquid. Samples taken by specialists from Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (A&A) on July 7th 2007 in the mouths of these four rivers showed between 4,300 and 15,000 fecal coliforms for each 100 millilitres of water.

A&A has taken samples in those places every three months during 11 years. The average of fecal coliforms has oscillated between 23,130 and 58,794 fecal coliforms. Moreover, between May and August 2.003 there were maximum peaks that reach between 1, 2 million and 11 million of fecal coliforms.

“If this trend continues like this, with this fast and disorganized growth, the beach will be destroyed in five years”, said microbiologist Darner Mora, Director of A&A Laboratory.

Salt water kills bacteria and the open beach to the ocean cleans it. Therefore, samples taken in Jaco beach waters show acceptable values for swimming and “sometimes” has excellent conditions.

Pollution comes from commercial shops, hotels, houses and precarious which do not care about the right treatment of the black waters and dispose all the garbage directly to the rivers. The authorities in charge are conscious about it. Ricardo Sancho, executive president of A&A, pointed out that all new construction projects are obligated to install water treatment plants.

The solution to the problem in Jaco city is to build a proper sewer system. However, it is a project that will be completed in 2011, with luck. At the beginning of the year, A&A have started on the preliminary studies of the construction of the sewer system. The procedure was declared “unproductive” and is immersed in appeals and waiting for the resolution of the General ‘Contraloria’, said director of Studies and Projects from A&A., Jose Luis Arguedas Negrini.

According to the President of A&A, Ricardo Sancho, his administration inherited the problem and they are trying to solve it by psuhing the sewer project, by including Jaco in the Blue Flag Program and by denying permissions to projects that do not have water treatment plants and closing businesses that do not follow the rules.

A new inspector has been hired exclusively for the Garabito area to control the irregularities said Andrea Garita, Health Director of the area. The Garabito Municipal Board’s demands, that the businesses located near the creeks close to Jaco beach should install residual and black water treatment plants due to the septic tanks and drainage systems, are insufficient.

The experts from the Health Ministry and A&A point out that in Jaco all septic tanks are useless because the underground water is too close to the surface and the liquids mix each other and run to the rivers.

The Mayor mentioned three hotels without treatment plants: Jaco Fiesta, Copacabana and Bancosta. Irene Sutherland, Jaco Fiesta’s manager and Jorge Alvarado, Bancosta’s administrator said that the waters from their hotels go to septic tanks and drainages and according to Luis Hernandez, Copacabana’s manager, the waters coming out of their hotel come from the rain.

A big problem is that the cost of a water treatment plant is very high. Best Western Hotel invested more than $100,000 of its own (about 52 millions colones). Private investors donated two cleaning machines especially for beaches to the local government which cost more than $82,000 (42.6 millions colones).

Sonia Alvarado, President of the Blue Flag Committee thinks that the problem will become more serious in the future if they do not take measures today, it will be too late in two years. Part of the problem was that nobody cared about having a completely clean beach.

An Ecological Blue Flag on a beach means that it is well recognized all over the world. Only with the certification of the Blue Flag, could Jaco solve its pollution problem.

Alvarado made a denouncement to the Inhabitants Defensory, based on studies from A&A and a thesis written by two students from CRU. They gave her credit and the Health Ministry named an inspector for Jaco.

We have to make pressure on A&A so they can make the sewer system. In addition, we have to work together with the Health Ministry in order to make an inventory of all the water treatment plants in the area. The community is fighting to obtain the Blue Flag. To obtain that, the water has to be completely clean and so the aqueducts.

Our thanks to our friends at La Nación – Costa Rica’s largest Spanish circulation newspaper for their permission to summarize this article.

Costa Rica Realtor:

We asked a local Realtor to comment on this article since he has lived in the area for some years and has been following this closely:

“The recent article in La Nacion highlighted the long standing problem that most of Costa Rica is continually facing, that being the issue of pollution going unchecked, affecting the wetlands, streams, rivers and eventually into the ocean.

As one who has written articles recently outlining many positive things that are going on in Jaco, I felt it imperative to follow up and report what the Municipality, local businesses, and developers are doing now to address the issues brought up by the recent La Nacion article.

As many may already know, all of the new developments currently underway in the area are required to provide their own sewage treatment plants on site. In discussions with several developers, the systems they are incorporating exceed in some instances double the required outcome. These systems allow a great deal of water to be re-used on site for landscaping irrigation.

Immediately following the recent article the Ministry of Health notified local businesses that they would begin inspections of all businesses in the area to check not only pollution levels, but would also be addressing safety issues as well.

A discussion with one local business person revealed the Ministry has already begun the inspections. She shared that when they came to her location they checked the bacteria levels in the septic system, drainage, etc. and looked at standard safety requirements to make sure they were being met.

It was actually the Blue Flag Committee that called La Nacion and encouraged them to come to Jaco and do the article that appeared in the paper. It was to put pressure on the Municipality to start addressing these issues. Members of the Blue Flag Committee continue to be involved in the follow up.

There has been a new action committee formed that held their first meeting last week. The committee consist of at least two members each from the Chamber of Commerce, local business associates, Municipality members, and The Ministry of Health.

Juan Carlos, a member of the Chamber of commerce and a member of the new committee, in a phone conversation this morning said he is encouraged by the level of response so far and that at their meeting this coming week they will be discussing and laying out an “action plan” to assist in helping everyone make Jaco the premier location that many see it becoming in the near future.”

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.