It's home to only about 150 residents, but the importance of Gracie Rock is far greater than that. First it's one of the historic settlements along the Sibun River, where breakaway slaves set up communities, and second, it's one of the great, picturesque spots in the Belize district to go for a swim. But tonight, the dark cloud of environmental damage hangs over that history and rural charm as the Sibun in front of Gracie Rock is a foul-colored green. We visited to try and find the reason why:
Alfonso Noble Reporting
This is the Sibun River at Gracie Rock. Usually it is as a charming a stretch of riverbank as you're likely to find anywhere in Belize. But today and for the past two days it has been under a thick film of green. No one knows what it is or what's causing it, but everyone agrees, this has never happened before.
Yolanda Usher - Gracie Rock Resident
"From Saturday it get very green and we were wondering why but just… I don't know. The first time we see it like that. For the past 32 years as far as I know it hasn't gotten that green yet. Green, green like grass green."
Yvette Hoare - Gracie Rock Resident
"I born and grow here the water has never had that color. Until about Friday the people who live up river say it was already coming down green. But on Saturday morning around 8 O'clock when we went to see the water it was green, green, green."
And now, the concern is that the only source of washing, drinking, bathing, and cooking water for this riverside village may be contaminated:
Yolanda Usher
"The people are very upset; very, very upset because we don't have any other water to drink only that water that we use to do everything. We bathe wash and drink."
Yvette Hoare
"We use it to drink. We use it for everything; drink, bathe wash, everything. From we are born that's what we use the water for and that has never happened before. We drink it because we didn't know what it was. Until we saw it green we decided to have somebody call in for someone to come and check the water."
And as the pervasive green cover moves down river, these villagers want to know when they'll get their river back:
Yolanda Usher
"Whatever is going on we'd really want it to stop because to throw waste in the river and we are drinking it on this side is very hard."
It's a cry for help that they hope will be heeded by authorities
The department of environment dispatched officers to the area this Afternoon and they are taking tests and samples. The only major industrial development is up river at the Fresh Catch Tilapia farm. Technicians there have told the environment crews that they have not released any discharge. Usually, any green appearance like this can be traced to algae but that would only be in a river with high saltwater content, which the Sibun does not have.