Brown Water At Kata Beach

[ScubaBuddha]

There were several large patches of really nasty looking water up and down Kata Beach today. Not the normal brown post-deluge silt. I saw quite a few people swimming in it, including some kids. Anyone seen this before? A bit concerning what with the recent reports of sewage being discharged from hotels. (I can't seem to find that article now) Anyone know where I could get it tested? (Scroll down for pics. I am getting the large space before images again.)

Edited May 12, 2011 by ScubaBuddha

[KarenBravo]

Algae blooms.

[petercallen]

Algae blooms.

Yes i agree

[grumpyoldman]

This is where to fish for brown trouts and blind mullets

[petercallen]

This is where to fish for brown trouts and blind mullets

You could be right, there is a drain at the north end of the beach

Algae usually grows when there are plenty of nutrients in the water

[steelepulse]

I've seen it happen for years there and when I do, I avoid going in, but I get a big chuckle out of watching the tourists enjoying themselves in it.

[seriouseats]

Crap or not, You got to be crazy to swim in this.

[grumpyoldman]

I've seen it happen for years there and when I do, I avoid going in, but I get a big chuckle out of watching the tourists enjoying themselves in it.

Kata didn't want to be outdone by the recent announcement of the swimming with dolphins park in Rawai, so they have introduced swimming with the doogies.

[chuppachops]

that looks disgusting! im sure i can spot a big turd in the 2nd picture

[KarenBravo]

It's just algae. Have seen this at Kata for over twenty years.

Unsightly, but, harmless.

[bunta71]

It's just algae. Have seen this at Kata for over twenty years.

Unsightly, but, harmless.

I always thought algae was green...silly me

[KarenBravo]

It's just algae. Have seen this at Kata for over twenty years.

Unsightly, but, harmless.

I always thought algae was green...silly me

Green, brown and red varieties.

[katabeachbum]

It's just algae. Have seen this at Kata for over twenty years.

Unsightly, but, harmless.

I always thought algae was green...silly me

Green, brown and red varieties.

and black algea

Been travelling a couple of weeks, so left poolfiltration off and no chlorine. brown/green water.

emptyed the pool content in the drain

Sorry Kata Beach, never thought it would make you look like this :jap:

[bunta71]

You are supposed to learn something every day. So my lesson today is algae colors.....and it didn't tax my brain that much like usual, which for me is good

Edited May 16, 2011 by bunta71

[jonsey]

This is to OP and for all the effort you put into the first post.

By now you will have seen that the local authorities have admitted to sewage being discharged into the sea due to the treatment works becoming full due to seasonal rain. They have also admitted that the pumps fail to work during electrical black outs, and therefore sewage is discharged into the sea. You will have also read that a german film crew was present and filmed what they believed to be large scale sewage in the sea on Kata beach. I can verify all of this as I was present the day the film crew were there and asked the camera crew and presenter what they were doing. They confirmed they were filming the seasonal discharge on the beach for a german program after being alerted to the problem over a number of years by german tourists who fell sick during their stay over the periods of the rainy season and blackouts. I can confirm, as you will have known that there were a number of electrical blackouts over the time in question and when the german film crew were present. This german crew claim responsibility for the admission of the local authorities only after the evidence being put to them by film.

As for your own laboratory analyst of the samples you took should you still have them, I would recommend that you send them to PacRim, but that will cost you, or a cheaper option would be to use some of the street labs around Phuket, or better still consider this, there are 13 million fecal coliform bacteria in 1gram of wet human feces. A single coliform bacteria is equal to 1-ten millionth of a gram, diluted in 100ml=100g of water thats 1 part per billion. Now an average single human bowel movement is 1000g. I am unsure of the size of the treatment works and how many households, hotels and businesses will empty into it, but I think we can guess its big! With a great deal of human waste, not to mention other waste such as animals.

Now we know that the treatment works emptied into the sea not just once but numerous times, and failed numerous times due to the blackouts, the engineers waiting till parts could come to fix the problem.

Now as for your concerns and that of mine and others is the sea safe to be in during the period in question, for me this is simple, is the water safe to drink, salt content aside? The answer for me is NO WAY. The brown scum is exactly what common sense dictates it is, and anybody that thinks it isn't should drink it and see what happens, and by the way you can get seriously ill with one fecal bacteria.

I hope you still have the samples and submit them for testing and let us know the outcome. Thanks for being concerned about your beach I certainly will not be going in again until that mess is cleared up.

Edited July 8, 2011 by katabeachbum
poster used wrong name for OP

[ScubaBuddha]

Thanks for that very...descriptive...analysis. Unfortunately I don't have those samples anymore. It is odd that, despite the officials reassurances, a large "Warning: Biohazard" sign, complete with the very recognizable biohazard logo was placed on the flap that covers discharge vent on Kata beach between Kata Beach Resort and The Boathouse, which is just a few meters from sun loungers. That sign was given to the Karon Municipality by the German film crew when they returned to meet with officials and see if the situation had improved.

As for the brown slick, I understand it is/may be algea blooms, and that they occur periodically on Kata and other beaches, but that is not the end of the story. I am concerned by what is causing the bloom. Marine algae blooms don't usually occur naturally, and are usually a resault of high levels of nitrates and phosphates in runoff due to human activities.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algal_bloom

"Of particular note are harmful algal blooms (HABs), which are algal bloom events involving toxic or otherwise harmful phytoplankton such as dinoflagellates of the genus Alexandrium and Karenia. Such blooms often take on a red or brown hue and are known colloquially as red tides."