The seawater intake pipes were installed under the cover of darkness. Photo: Save the Waves
After the sun went down on July 24th, a company called SENFU Mexico did something very shady: they secretly installed a two seawater intake pipelines complete with concrete pilings directly into the surf zone at Tres Emes beach. Tres Emes is a wave in Bahia Todos Santos, Mexico, which became a world surfing reserve in 2013.
The local surfing community is pissed, and rightfully so. It’s been an ongoing saga for quite some time now–back in July of 2016, the local committee of Bahía de Todos Santos World Surfing Reserve sat down with Ports Administration and SENFU Mexico to figure out a better way to get the project completed. “We were never against the installation of pipes for seawater intake,” the local committee of Bahía de Todos Santos Surf World Reserve said. “Our objective was to guide and give the necessary recommendations so that the seawater intake system could be carried out without any environmental risks or danger to the surfers.”
During those meetings, some of the concerns that were voiced included near shore sediment movement, reef dynamics, and increased erosion of the cliff that looks over the break. It was recommended that the pipelines be constructed at a different angle and, instead of with 8″ inch pipes, they use smaller diameter flexible tubing. According to WSR, this method has been used for years in nearby areas.
Unfortunately, though, the speed bumps proved to be too much of an annoyance to SENFU Mexico, a seafood export company. Sometime after dark, they installed two pipes nearly 400 feet into the surf, anchoring them to the reef.
“The work was hastily carried out overnight on July 24th without taking into account our recommendations and the pipelines were installed in an area that could be hazardous to surfers, particularly beginning surfers due to its orientation inside of the main impact zone,” wrote Save the Waves. “The presence of these pipes and concrete structures present a considerable danger for the users, especially during bigger swells due to the strong lateral currents from north to south over the area where the pipelines where installed. The system is a permanent scar on the coastal environment and will likely outlive the presence of the SENFU operation onshore.”
So what happens now? Well, Save the Waves and the Bahia de Todos Santos WSR are speaking with authorities to figure out what they can do about it. They are “reviewing the legal options available to impede the SENFU project with a goal of a project redesign consistent with our vetted recommendations.”
