Oct. 25, 2004 –– The V.I. Port Authority's contractor, American Bridge Co., voluntarily stopped trucking dredged material from the Enighed Pond commercial port project to the Susannaberg Landfill last Friday after the previous day's heavy rains sent large amounts of the material flowing down Guinea Gut. Planning and Natural Resources Department had not issued a Cease and Desist order, as had been previously reported.
"But it's still under investigation," Dean Plaskett, Planning and Natural Resources Department commissioner, said Monday.
St. John Administrator Julien Harley, who was under the impression Friday that DPNR had issued a Cease and Desist order to stop the trucking, said Monday that the contractor planned to install barriers to keep the dredged material at the site.
"They have to put in a swale to stop it from going into the gut," he said.
Ira Wade, deputy Public Works Commissioner, called it a "berm."
Wade said he walked the area below the Susannaberg Landfill as well as the spot at the Westin Resort where the gut reaches the sea, but did not find any evidence of dredged material in the gut.
However, "Trinidad" Charlie Deyalsingh had said Friday that the gut near his house was covered with a gray material that looked like drying sludge similar to that piled around Enighed Pond. (See "Enighed Dredge Material May Be Killing Stream Life").
Wade said he visited Deyalsingh's house, but he wasn't home to show Wade the problem.
Wade said, in hindsight, it wasn't a good idea to spread the dredged material at the landfill during last week's rains.
He said that the Port Authority, American Bridge Co. and Public Works will meet Tuesday to figure out how to deal with the problem.
The Port Authority had initially planned to let the dredged material dry out at the Enighed Pond commercial port, but more material than anticipated piled up.
Last Tuesday the Port Authority began trucking the dredged material to the landfill.
Port Authority director Darlan Brin did not return a call requesting comment.
This is the latest in a series of delays that has recently pushed the completion date for the long-awaited Enighed Pond up to March 2005.
At the June 13, 2003, groundbreaking ceremony, the Port Authority announced the project would be done by July 2004. ( See "Enighed Pond Ceremonial Shovels Turn up Smiles").
The project has been on the books since 1971.
In the spring, the dredged material developed a foul odor, which forced the contractor, American Bridge Co., to stop dredging while a deodorizing system was worked Out.(See "No Answer So Far to Eliminating Enighed Odor" and "VIPA Chief: Endure Odor 'Til Dredging's Over").

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