The Engineer Ronald Williams’ Award for Technical Excellence is presented annually for excellence in Conference Paper Authorship and Presentation. It was no different at the recently concluded 19th Conference and Exhibition, held at the Grenada Grand Beach Resort, Grenada, October 2010.

This year as usual technical paper presentations were judged using the following criteria: Authorship – 70% and Presentation – 30%

At the end Mr. Adrian Cashman and Ms. Marsha Serville was awarded with the prize for the paper…..”Towards Characterizing Pollutants Affecting River Water Quality in the Fond D’Or Watershed: Linking river water quality in the Fond D’Or watershed, St. Lucia with the health of watershed residents”.

Below is the Abstract of the 2010 Winning Presentation.

ABSTRACT

The Fond D’Or watershed is a major watershed located in the eastern part of St. Lucia. Concerns of deterioration in the quality of the Fond D’Or River water, from preliminary testing, provide justification for this research. This research aims at determining whether there is a relationship between river water quality in the Fond D’Or watershed and the health of the watershed residents. The objectives of this research were addressed through site investigations, questionnaires, statistical data, GIS mapping and the review of existing literature. Water quality testing for chemical, physical and biological parameters for designated sampling points along the Fond D’Or River, were used as main indicators of pollution concentration. The testing was conducted by Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) on behalf of the Integrating Watershed and Coastal Area Management (IWCAM) project in St. Lucia.

CEHI’s testing of river water is guided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and WHO standards for recreational water. Of notable attention were results indicating that Escherichia coli (E.coli) bacteria were exceeding the acceptable limits of 126 cfu/100 ml as outlined by the USEPA standards for recreational waters. At some sampling points along the Fond D’Or River, E.coli bacteria counts were as high as 88,000 cfu/100 ml. E. coli bacteria are common indicators of fecal contamination. An analysis of health data from the Health clinics within the Fond D’Or watershed have revealed the presence of a variety of water-related diseases including ear, skin and eye infections and gastroenteritis in the watershed communities. Those results were of concern particularly because of the presence of several piggeries, most of which were located along the banks of the Fond D’Or River. The absence of buffer zones and the nonexistence of technology for treatment of pig waste water effluent heightened concerns of fecal contamination of water sources.

The study recommended the use of riparian strips and site specific integrated technologies for the treatment of pig waste. The use of septic tanks employing separation techniques as well as effective micro-organisms technology and a bio-gas digester are among the technology that are being recommended in an effort to reduce the prevalence of E.coli bacteria in the waters of the Fond D’Or watershed.