Minister of Health John Boyce reiterated that the sluice gate at Worthing Beach will need to be opened from time to time.
“We are dealing with a live environment. We are not dealing with something that is static and there is at times need for this gate to be opened. We can cast our mind back to 100 years ago. There was no gate here. The gate would have been constructed to protect the beach as a tourist attraction. At the same time, the need to release the waters of the Graeme Hall Swamp has not abated, so whenever there is a deluge and a build up on the land side, we have to manage that process,” he said.
At the time, he was speaking to the media moments before taking a short swim at the beach, which was reopened yesterday following a week’s closure.
The closure came about as the gate was opened to allow high levels of water from the swamp to drain off to reduce pressure from the sewer system, which has been infiltrated by extensive amounts of stormwater. This resulted in a discoloration of the seas off Worthing Beach and a foul odour.
Last month, Boyce spoke on the matter in Parliament and was reported saying, “For the time being, we can go back to a simple solution which will be essentially cheaper, but will serve the purpose of alleviating the pain and suffering
of the people in that area… I therefore want to use this occasion to appeal to authorities that we work together to put in place these simple solutions and to allow the sluice gate operation to occur once more and alleviate this unacceptable condition.” (JMB)
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