Waterloo submits responses to DOE questions

Black Immigrant Daily News

Two questions were posed to Waterloo’s developer in a letter from the DOE dated September 5; concerning the use of geotextiles, and the possible impact on the Outstanding Universal Value of the Belize Barrier Reef.

BELIZE CITY, Fri. Oct. 21, 2022

The developers of the Waterloo Holdings Limited project who are seeking approval for the proposed construction of a cruise terminal and tourism village, as well as expansion of the cargo capacity at the Port of Belize compound in Belize City have submitted a supplementary report to the Department of the Environment, responding to two questions posed to them following a September 1 public consultation and NEAC. 

The public has raised concerns over the dumping of millions of cubic meters of dredged material that will result from the project, and its potential impact on the country’s marine ecosystem and the Belize Barrier Reef System.

In its 33-page response to the DOE letter requesting additional information, the developer remarks, “We appreciate the DOE, NEAC’s and public concern with the BBRRS and how our proposed aquatic and confined placement (close to the coast, or “nearshore”) may have a potential environmental impact. However, it is critical to reiterate how these dredged materials placed are very similar or identical to the natural sediments encountered and every possible measure will be taken to mitigate any potential environmental risk in its entirety.”

In a letter dated September 5 addressed to Jelle Prins of Piedroba Consulting Group, Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer, asked them, in reference to the proposed use of geotextiles for the containment of dredge soils, to provide specifications from the manufacturers of the material, and to provide three examples of usage with proper reference. The DOE also asked the developers to describe in a presentation the possible direct or indirect impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value of the Belize Barrier Reef under its World Heritage Site designation.

During the September public consultation, the company failed to properly reply to a question from Rodrigo Ferreira Modernel, the regional manager of Boskalis, who asked for examples of the successful use of geotextiles at the level proposed in this project. He noted that the high risks of structural failure common in geotextile usage were not addressed in the ESIA submitted by the company and that a proper risk assessment was lacking. In a purported response to the question, one company consultant, Kris Baert, who joined via Zoom, explained that the approach being taken in the project is a new one, but failed to give any direct examples of successful usage of geotextiles in a context similar to what is being proposed in the Waterloo ESIA.

The company intends to dispose of the material over 1200 acres along the coast near the development site, which will be designated as a nearshore placement area. In a response to the DOE’s letter, the Waterloo developers make reference to the variety of uses of geotextiles and various fields of applications in which “Jan De Nul has extensive experience”—none entirely reflective of the way in which geotextiles would be used at the Port of Belize. Nonetheless, in the company’s response it makes a general reference to the fact that “the technology has been in use for over 70 years in marine engineering” and gives examples of geotextile systems and applications in other projects.

The DOE also asked the developer about the possible impact of the project on the status of the Belize Barrier Reef as an Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site. The developers noted that the project site is 15 kilometers from the BBRRS and that, “Closer to the coastline, the predominant flow of water circulation is relatively slow and flows from north to south.” What the company appears to be claiming, therefore, without a guarantee, is that the material would not flow that far out to sea.

They again made reference to their proposed containment of the dredged material with silt screen curtains and geotextiles of the dredge material and suggested, again without a guarantee, that the dredge material might return to its compacted states within months of completion. They then tried to assert that, in their opinion, based on their study of the regional water circular, dispersion, and natural suspended soil concentration in the area (which is considered by some environmentalists as incomplete), the project will not harm the reef.

“Therefore, neither the OUV nor the BBRRS’s World Heritage status will be impacted negatively by our development, and the BBRRS is not at risk of returning to the List of World Heritage in Danger,” the company claimed. They even suggested that it will increase the “integrity of the BBRRS property by realizing substantial environmental improvements.”

The full supplementary information can be found on the Department of the Environment website, and a public comment period has been opened. On November 4, the next public consultation concerning this project will be held at the Biltmore Plaza in Belize City.

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