Current Conditions St Lucia Estuary

St Lucia Estuary
iSimangaliso Wetlands Park
South Africa

Rumor has it that the St Lucia Estuary mouth will be fully functioning by en October 2014. About time many would say.

Well never in the History of St Lucia has the Estuary health been so poorly managed as in the past 14 years. Reed beds has diminished the Mangroves swamp's capacity to nurture frail fish species and give safe haven to fiddler crabs, gobies mangrove welk and many other species.

The storm ravaging our coast line this week has brought some relief in the form of fresh sea water into the system, but with it a huge amount of sand pushing all the way past the sand pit in front of the ski boat club towards Honey Moon Bend.

Why do I, Petrus Viviers, predict the Estuary to be open by end of October 2014. Well it is really simple actually.

If the Authorities implement their Dredging Schedule of the clogged up sand pitt they will need a constant water supply. They cannot remove the sediment with out continuous water supply and even with the 36000 ha to their disposal evaporation will beat them to the chase.

The Estuary will once again run dry in the Northern Regions once they start pumping the sediment out like it did in the early 2000 when massive quantities Dusky Cob died during a water loss problem.

So the only way to get enough water and keep the system in a hydraulic lock is to use the tidal movement of the ocean to bring in enough water to remove the sediment.

In My Humble Opinion The Authorities has no other recourse than to open the mouth before the summe rain.

By Petrus Viviers
081 342 7371
petrusviv@gmail.com
BBM Pin:2B84CDD7
Cell: 0813427371