"We are going to get tough", says Council member, West Bay resident and Committee Chairman, Julio Galindo. "We're giving everyone on West Bay and West End 60 days to clean up their septic problems and then we're shutting down the offenders".
October 1st marked a milestone for us here in West Bay...because that's the date the Municipality of Roatan held a meeting of residents, council members, resort owners and representatives from the Marine Park and told us all about the tough new guidelines for polluting our precious waters.... Reports of septic tank failures, inadequate systems and non-existent treatment plants have been mulling for months now as residents and tourists alike report bad odors, colored stream water, and itches after swimming on parts of West End and West Bay beach....
This is an important issue and I for one am glad to see it is getting addressed...and with this much aggressive action! For years Roatan has been quite lax on their building codes and regulations but as the population (now over 60,000) continues to rise, construction continues to boom and Cruise Ships make Roatan their new port of destination, Roatan MUST change the ways of the past and crack down for our future!! Mr. Galindo was already at Costa Tesoro and other West Bay projects handing out the "love letters", as he calls them, stating in no uncertain terms that offenders will be shut down for up to ONE YEAR!!!
Our Islands have the coral reef as one of our biggest draws.... and untreated or inadequate septic systems can be very detrimental to this eco-sensitive system..... so our hats off to Mr. Galindo and the Roatan Municipality for taking affirmative action!! We want the reef, our beaches, and our environment preserved for generations to come... and it's up to us to make that happen!
