INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT IN BLUEFIELDS BAY, JAMAICA A Masters Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science, Geospatial Sciences in Geography and Geology By Jackie Elizabeth Ebert July 2010 INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT IN BLUEFIELDS BAY, JAMAICA Geography, Geology, and Planning Missouri State University, July 2010 Master of Science Jackie Elizabeth Ebert ABSTRACT Water supplies for drinking and ecological support in Jamaica are threatened due to poverty and poor infrastructure, and the coastal waters into which they flow are polluted in some areas. Recently, Bluefields Bay, located on the southwest coast of Jamaica, has been designated a national fish sanctuary and there are questions about the condition of water quality in the area and its ability to support both human uses and fish habitat requirements. Integrated watershed management is a holistic approach that connects water quality problems to the land use practices and environmental conditions affecting them. The objectives of this study are to (i) utilize GIS to delineate and characterize sub- watersheds; (ii) complete water quality testing along all the rivers and major springs flowing into the bay; and (iii) classify the subwatersheds according to the risk of water degradation. The best stream channel and water conditions were found where streams flow through healthy wetland environments, are located away from settled areas, and have relatively wide or established riparian corridors. Most of the water problems observed are related to poor solid waste management, domestic water treatment, and the lack of protection of critical watershed areas such as riparian buffer zones, freshwater and coastal wetlands, and spring recharge areas. A community-based water monitoring program can be used to increase awareness of water issues, train the next generation of environmental managers, assess the condition of river quality through time, and improve acceptance of conservation practices to control pollution problems. KEYWORDS: Jamaica, stream health, GIS, water quality, land use This abstract is approved as to form and content Robert T. Pavlowsky Chairperson, Advisory Committee Missouri State University ii INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT IN BLUEFIELDS BAY, JAMAICA By Jackie Elizabeth Ebert A Masters Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College Of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science, Geospatial Sciences in Geography and Geology July 2010 Approved: Robert Pavlowsky, PhD William Wedenoja, PhD Jun Luo, PhD _______________________________________ Frank Einhellig, Graduate College Dean iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people deserve thanks and appreciation for their contribution to the completion of this research. First and foremost I would like to thank Dr. Robert Pavlowsky for all of his knowledge and advice, and for mentoring me through it all. I would also like to thank my committee members Dr. William Wedenoja and Dr. Jun Luo for their guidance, technical support, and expertise on Jamaica. I owe a special thanks to my colleagues and fellow graduate students for support during this project, particularly to Erin Hutchinson and W. Patrick Dryer, because without them water sampling would not have been the same. I owe special acknowledgements to the crew in Bluefields, Jamaica. I would like to express a heart-felt thank you to Mr. Wolde Kristos. Your passion and devotion to your community inspires me, and without your energy, knowledge, and encouragement none of this would have been possible. I would also like to thank Reliable Adventures Jamaica, Deceita and Michael Turner, and Veda Tate; without your guidance and support our experience would not have been the same. To Mr. Terry Williams, I would like to say thank you for your wealth of knowledge and your willingness to share it. Your support for this project inspired me, including your assistance in sample collection, and I thank you. Special thanks also go to Andreas Hiaduk of the Water Resources Authority of Jamaica, who provided us with technical reports and data collected by his agency, as well as assistance in the field. I would also like to acknowledge the National Library of Jamaica for permission to use the image “Bluefields Pen (Westmoreland 39)”. Funding was provided for this project through two Latin American, Caribbean, and Hispanic (LACHs) grants: one to Dr. Pavlowsky and Dr. Wedenoja, and another to me. In addition, a $500 Thesis Funding Award from the Graduate College at Missouri State University also helped fund this research. Funding for travel to professional conferences was provided by the Ozarks Environmental and Water Resources Institute (OEWRI), Department of Geography, Geology, and Planning, the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, and the Graduate College, all at Missouri State University. I would also like to express a special thank you to OEWRI for the use and guidance of their field and analysis equipment. Lastly, I would like to thank my friends and family for all of their support and encouragement. Without their support and wisdom none of this would have been possible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1-Introduction .........................................................................................................1 Water Problems in the Developing World ...............................................................1 Bluefields Bay Watershed Concerns .......................................................................4 Watershed-Based Planning ......................................................................................9 Purpose and Objectives ..........................................................................................13 Bluefields Bay Watershed......................................................................................15 Benefits ..................................................................................................................19 Chapter 2- Integrated Watershed Management .................................................................20 History: Why is it Needed? ...................................................................................21 Guiding Principles ................................................................................................24 Water Uses .................................................................................................25 Hydrological Connections .........................................................................25 Management Approach ..........................................................................................28 GIS-Based Watershed Classification .........................................................28 Water Quality Monitoring..........................................................................30 Watershed Protection Tools .......................................................................30 Best Management Practices .......................................................................31 Sources of Watershed Degradation ........................................................................32 Deforestation ..............................................................................................32 Food Forests and Agrochemicals ...............................................................34 Mining ........................................................................................................35 Development and Urban Centers ...............................................................36 Runoff and Nonpoint Sources ....................................................................37 Domestic Waste Treatment ........................................................................37 Direct Water Use........................................................................................38 Water Quality of Natural Waters ...........................................................................39 Water Chemistry ........................................................................................39 Suspended Sediment/ Turbidity .................................................................39 Nutrients .....................................................................................................39 Bacteria ......................................................................................................42 Chlorine......................................................................................................43 Effective Implementation Projects .........................................................................43 Global Coral Reef Alliance ........................................................................43 Coastal Water Quality Improvement Project .............................................44 Ridge to Reef Watershed Project ...............................................................44 Summary: Needs ........................................................................................45 Chapter 3- Study Area .......................................................................................................46 Physical Description ..............................................................................................46 Climate .......................................................................................................47 Geology ......................................................................................................47