WATER QUALITY TRENDS IN THE BLUEFIELDS BAY WATERSHED, JAMAICA

Water supplies for drinking water and ecological support in Jamaica are threatened due to poverty and poor infrastructure. Domestic and commercial activities pollute rivers and coastal waters and can reduce opportunities for economic growth by community tourism. This study reports the preliminary results of a water quality monitoring program in the Bluefields Bay watershed on the southwest coast of Jamaica. Recently, Bluefields Bay 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. The objectives of this study are to (i) utilize GIS to delineate and characterize sub-watersheds and (ii) complete water quality testing along all the rivers and major springs flowing into the bay. The monitoring program collected water samples at 14 sites from three sampling runs made three times during a one-year period. Water testing involved the measurement or screening for the following water quality parameters including: stream health indicators, discharge, routine water chemistry, turbidity, nutrients, chlorine, and bacteria. The best water quality was found at sites where stream systems filtered through healthy wetland environments, as well as sites further away from settled areas and lined with larger riparian corridors. The worst water quality was located in streams that have little to no riparian zones and are heavily used for clothes washing and laundering. Most of the water problems observed are related to poor solid waste management, domestic water treatment, and protection of critical watershed areas such as riparian buffer zones, freshwater and coastal wetlands, and spring recharge areas. The findings of this study will be used to provide recommendations to develop conservation programs to reduce the effects of water pollution on the water supplies for Bluefields Bay communities.