[“The video clearly shows that these measures were either not followed and are woefully inadequate as the fertilizer is entering the water and affecting reef health “ said SGCR president, Troy D Albury ]

U.S. Scientists confirm that reef on Great Guana Cay is sick and dying due to fertilizer seeping from shoreline golf course built by Discovery land company at Bakers Bay

GREAT GUANA CAY, Bahamas , U.S. marine biologists reported at the Abaco Science Alliance conference this month that reef-killing fertilizers are seeping from a controversial, shoreline golf megadevelopment on Great Guana Cay, and are causing coral disease and reef-smothering algae blooms on one of the Bahamas’ most pristine coral reefs  

Scientists in January 2012 surveyed the reefs on Great Guana Cay, and confirmed residents’ worst nightmare:  coral diseases and algae had risen dramatically on the reefs nearest the sprawling Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club since its 2010 construction.  

Golf courses require heavy doses of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides to remain green and attractive. Scientists say this toxic dose of chemicals is seeping through the island’s porous limestone foundation, speeding growth of algae on the fragile reef, and weakening corals, making them much more susceptible to disease.  

“These observations provide unambiguous evidence of high nutrient inputs from the golf course to the near-shore waters, with strong negative impacts on water quality and environmental health, along with strong indications that the effects are spreading to the coral reefs offshore,” explained Dr. Tom Goreau, who co-presented the findings at a science conference this month in Abaco.

Dr. Thomas Goreau and Dr. James Cervino are respected U.S. coral reef scientists who have been voluntarily monitoring the health of the reef in relation to Baker’s Bay construction activities since 2005. They returned in early January 2012 and performed an independent rapid assessment of the reefs. They found clear proof that the section of the golf course on the northwestern tip of the Baker’s Bay development is leaching nutrients into the water. This is the area where the golf course comes closest to the water and no buffers exist between the water and the course. Red and green algae present along the shoreline indicate nutrients are entering the water.  The scientists travelled along the entire shoreline of the seven-mile island and this is the only place where the algae are present in such concentrations.  These algae had not been there before the golf course.   
 
A video at http://www.notesfromtheroad. com/sgcr clearly shows the algae at this site;  At this same URL there is the preliminary  report of the scientists that was presented a the Abaco Science conference in Marsh harbor earlier this month

Algae growing on the bare rocks right off the golf course fed by nutrient leakage

The scientists also visited reefs off of the north end of Guana cay and other sites both up-current and down-current of the site.  These are the same sites they visited 6 years ago. In 2005 and 2006 these sites were described as nearly pristine and very little evidence of coral disease.  Only one case of coral disease was noted.  In 2012, 17 cases of coral disease were noted at the north end of Guana and only 3 cases at Fowl Cay and one at the north control site. These surveys were conducted at sites that are frequented by local dive operators and they were checked at the exact same locations as were checked in 2005 and 2006.   

                

Black Band Disease

                               

Algae levels were also higher with increased levels of cyanobacteria – a smothering algae that grows well with the presence of nutrients.

Cyanobacteria

Developers initially promised the following: 

• sloping of the course toward drainage canals that would catch the water to be recycled
• the planting of  300 foot wide buffer zones of special vegetation along the coast to absorb tainted water that escaped the other measures
• the laying of impermeable liners beneath the golf course greens to prevent runoff and contamination of groundwater
• the use of a special grass that would require little fertilizer and very little chemicals. 
• continuous monitoring by a special environmental team from University of Miami and promised the public  would be given access to their data.

Save Guana Cay Reef was formed in 2005 in response to the proposed golf course development on the north end of Guana Cay in the Abacos, Bahamas.  Our immediate concern was the effects of golf course chemicals and fertilizer on surrounding reefs that in some places were within yards of the shoreline.  The government and the developers  dismissed our concerns and went ahead with the golf course, which was completed around 2010.  Save Guana Cay Reef has not received any of their promised scientific monitoring reports and in fact the team from the University of Miami says they have not been affiliated with the project since 2008 – before the course was even completed.

We call upon the appropriate authorities to investigate and control this pollution problem before it is too late and one of our most precious resources is destroyed.