Filling-in the Great Salt Pond for these facilities will lead to an additional reduction of the pond's already limited water retention capacity and will have drastic consequences for the surrounding areas in times of rain and during Hurricanes as excess run-off water will cause flooding of the already overburdened districts adjacent to the pond.
In the days since the Commissioner's announcement many residents of the Over the pond, A. Th. Illidge Road, Madame Estate and Sucker Garden neighbourhoods have contacted St. Maarten Pride Foundation to express concerns about increased noise pollution in their district should the proposed plans be executed.
The Commissioner's plans, particularly those for the Cricket Stadium will also destroy a large portion of the same area of the Great Salt Pond that Government only recently identified and designated as a monument (BC# 1172-08). In establishing the Great Salt Pans area of the Great Salt Pond as a monument the Executive Council of the Island Territory of St. Maarten acknowledged the cultural/historical significance of the area and committed to protecting it.
BirdLife International (de Vogelbescherming) recently recognized the Great Salt Pond as one of the Caribbean's "Important Bird Areas (IBA)". IBAs are places of the highest global priority for bird and biodiversity conservation.