PHILIPSBURG--A director has been jointly selected by government officials of the Dutch and French sides for the new sewage plant that will be constructed in Simpson Bay Lagoon. The plant is expected to be built on a still-to-be-created man-made island. The candidate will now be notified about his selection for the job.
Prime Minister William Marlin told the press on Wednesday originally 45 candidates applied for the post and that number was distilled down to 10 by the joint team of technocrats. Nine candidates were eventually interviewed and the one approved for the director’s post was selected and ratified by government officials from both sides of the island.
This project falls under the European Union-funded joint programme on regional cooperation. Two other joint projects under the programme are the joint management (clean-up) of Simpson Bay Lagoon and the tackling of run-off water in Belvedere/French Quarter.
Responding to arguments against the sewage plant being built on an island in the lagoon, Marlin said Government did not make “a reckless choice.” He pointed out that the current sewage plant is built on reclaimed land in the Fresh Pond, as was Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities in Great Bay. The plans to build a waste-to-energy plant will also see building on what is essentially Great Salt Pond.
Marlin said if the sewage plant is not built, raw sewage will continue to flow into the lagoon. A properly-built plant will address the sewage runoff and dumping, as well as give the lagoon an opportunity to “clean itself” over time. “The lagoon will become health and fresh,” he said.
