Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management Baseline Assessment Study on Wastewater Management Jamaica December 2013 Revised January 2015 Baseline Assessment Study on Wastewater Management Jamaica Prepared by Dr. Homero Silva December 2013 Revised January 2015 CONTENTS List of Acronyms....................................................................................................................................................iii 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 2. The National Context ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Description of the Country .................................................................................................................. 4 Geographical Characteristics ............................................................................................................... 6 Economy by Sectors ............................................................................................................................ 7 The Environment ................................................................................................................................ 8 Land Use, Land Use Changes and Forestry ........................................................................................ 15 Disasters ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Climate Change Impacts ................................................................................................................... 20 Relevant National, Regional and International Conventions and Agreements ................................... 20 Water and Sanitation Coverage ........................................................................................................ 22 3. Methodology .................................................................................................................................................... 27 Literature Review .............................................................................................................................. 28 Interviews with Key Experts .............................................................................................................. 28 4. Mathematical Model Used ........................................................................................................................... 29 Rationale for the Model ..................................................................................................................... 30 Constraints/Limitations of the Model ................................................................................................ 31 5. Overview of Wastewater Treatment and Management ................................................................... 33 Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems ....................................................................................... 34 Wastewater Reuse ............................................................................................................................ 39 Industrial Wastewater Management ................................................................................................. 43 Tourism /Hotel Sector Wastewater Management ............................................................................. 48 Commercial and Other Institutions ................................................................................................... 51 Volume of Sewage Discharged into Water Bodies ............................................................................. 53 Septage/Biosolids Management ....................................................................................................... 53 Condition of Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure .......................................................................... 58 6. Pollution Problems and their Cost ........................................................................................................... 59 Pollution in Rivers, Lakes, Mangroves and Coastal Areas (Thermal and Nutrient Pollution) .............. 60 Environmental Deterioration such as Toxic Algae Blooms and Destruction of Coral Reefs ................ 67 Human shellfish and reef fish poisoning ............................................................................................ 68 Outbreaks of Water- and Food-borne Illnesses Related to Bad Sanitation ........................................ 69 Vector-borne Diseases (Chikungunya, Dengue, Malaria, Leptospirosis etc.) ......................................71 Deterioration of Bathing and Recreational Areas .............................................................................. 76 Social Impact due to Deterioration of the Environment .................................................................... 79 Economic Impact due to Deterioration of the Environment .............................................................. 83 7. National Capacity ........................................................................................................................................... 90 Existing Legislative Framework ......................................................................................................... 91 Existing Policy Framework ................................................................................................................ 93 i | P a g e Existing Institutional Framework ....................................................................................................... 96 8. Surveillance and Enforcement Capacity ................................................................................................ 98 9. Manpower Capacity ..................................................................................................................................... 102 10. Financing ...................................................................................................................................................... 107 11. Best Practices and Innovative Technological Treatment Solutions ....................................... 111 12. Current Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviours and Practices ......................................................... 115 13. Information Collection and Sharing ................................................................................................... 118 14. Presence and Participation Level of Water and Sanitation Organizations .......................... 121 15. Climate Change Impacts .......................................................................................................................... 124 16. Summary of Major Findings ................................................................................................................... 126 Major Findings from Literature Review ............................................................................................ 127 Analysis Using Mathematical Model ............................................................................................... 130 17. Recommendations for Action ............................................................................................................... 135 References ........................................................................................................................................................... 140 Annex 1 Definition of Objectives for Areas of Focus ............................................................................ 145 Annex 2 Data used for Evaluation .............................................................................................................. 149 Annex 3 Mathematical Model Results ....................................................................................................... 162 Annex 4 Summary of Grading of Answers (DNA of Wastewater Management, Jamaica) ....... 176 Annex 5 Explanation of Significance Values used in Mathematical Model .................................. 179 ii | P a g e LIST OF ACRONYMS AAS Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer AOSIS Alliance of Small Island States BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand CAREC Caribbean Epidemiology Centre CARPHA Caribbean Public Health Agency CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CBO Community-Based Organization CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora COD Chemical Oxygen Demand COP Conferences of Parties CReW Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management CWIP Coastal Water Quality Improvement Project DHF Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever DSS Dengue Shock Syndrome EFJ Environmental Foundation of Jamaica EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EHL Environmental Health Laboratory EHU Environmental Health Unit ENGO Environmental Non-Governmental Organization EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FRA Forest Resource Assessment FS Faecal Sludge FSMA Food Safety and Modernization Act GDP Gross Domestic Product GE Gastroenterology GOJ Government of Jamaica GPS Global Positioning System HACCP Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points HAJL Housing Agency of Jamaica Ltd. IDB Inter-American Development Bank IMF International Monetary Fund IPCC Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature LBS