Dear Dear Neighbor,
Barrier installation is on schedule and looking good! We’ve got a few more days of “adjusting & tightening” the mesh netting and then, on June 1st, will pause to observe the performance of the current configuration under various weather conditions for about a month. We’ll be using drones, GPS buoys, fixed video cameras and human monitoring teams to evaluate accumulations of sargassum outside the barrier, along the shore and along the rocky headlands. (NOTE: Additional monitoring will be done by The Centro Ecologico Akumal (CEA), an independent environmental group that seeks not to monitor the sargassum, itself, but instead will monitor whether the barrier infrastructure might have unexpected impacts on local marine life.)
The good news is that, today, even with the barrier not yet fully aligned, there is already very little NEW sargassum floating into Half Moon Bay! Except for one small leak on the southern end that we’re addressing this week, the remaining 600+ meters of barrier is holding strong. See below for a drone shot that shows the barrier handling a major onslaught of sargassum.
Unfortunately, there was already quite a bit of sargassum floating in the bay when the barrier went up and it will take awhile before this “Legacy” infestation washes up on shore or disintegrates in the water and sinks. We recommend that property managers in the High Impact Zone (HIZ) be instructed to monitor the sargassum mats that remain in the bay to determine when they want to start clearing infested beachfront(s). (NOTE: Because it is the height of loggerhead turtle nesting season, the sooner there is accessible sandy beach for nesting, the better. Even if your property manager decides to wait awhile before clearing your entire beachfront, clearing a pathway through the mounded sargassum NOW will help nesting turtles reach higher ground.)
Remember, we are not aiming to prevent 100% of sargassum from reaching our shore. The goal is to cut the infestation by about 70%. And, so far, this projection appears to be on track. We will keep you posted on what happens when the weather gets rougher and whether additional adjustments might be required to the current configuration. We will also keep you posted on the results of the environmental monitoring that is being conducted by the CEA. As you know, whether or not the project can be deemed a success will depend on BOTH the percentage of sargassum retention and on a data driven determination that the barrier is not causing unintended environmental consequences.
The project is being handled by EcoProteccion Akumal (EPA), a Mexican non-profit established expressly to manage HMB barrier operations. EPA will begin issuing monthly maintenance invoices on July 1st to each building (condos and houses) in the High Impact Zone (HIZ) which extends from Lot 33 on the south to Lot H-D on the north, well as to key business sponsors that benefit from a sargassum free bay.
In a separate email, property owners in the HIZ will be invited to a Zoom session to learn more about the costs and invoicing of barrier operations.
Properties outside the High Impact Zone are not expected to contribute towards the cost of operating the barrier. We are, however, still raising funds for our environmental protection program and invite neighbors to make a tax-deductible donation in support of this effort:
<HELP PROTECT LOCAL MARINE LIFE>
If you have any questions about barrier operations or about our environmental protection plan, please reach out to any one of us at the WhatsApp number shown below.
