Barrier Operations Funding
To proceed with barrier operations in 2024, the HMB Sargassum Project must get a firm commitment to help pay for barrier operations from at least 15 of the 29 beachfront lots that benefit directly when the barrier deflects sargassum away from the bay. These payments will be assessed by barrier operator, EcoProteccion Akumal (EPA), as a monthly fee that gets
set according to the formula below, beginning in January 2024.
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Annual barrier operating costs are projected to be MX $1,600,000 pesos (about USD $90,000/year). If all 29 impacted lots pay a "Fair Share" of this expense, the average monthly fee per lot will be about MX $4,600 pesos (USD $270/mo.). If only 15 lots contribute, the average fee goes up to about MX $9,000 pesos/mo.
The two charts below are getting updated daily (beginning on 12/15/23) with detail on contributions towards barrier operating costs as they're garnered from the 29 lots that abut the High Impact Zone ("HIZ") of our public beach. As long as both prongs of the HMB Sargassum Project are in place (fully funded barrier operations PLUS daily beach cleaning of any "Residual Sargassum" that gets past the barrier), 2024 will be our first opportunity to see a sargassum free Half Moon Bay.
Funding Status Summary
Funding Status Detail
How EPA Sets Monthly Fees
If all 29 lots that benefit from the barrier contribute towards EPA's operating costs, the average monthly fee per lot comes to only MX $4,650 pesos (about USD $265/month). But the actual monthly fee assessed by EPA is based on a formula that takes two variables into account:
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1) ​The impact of sargassum buildup on the federal zone beach that abuts a given lot.
2) The total number of beachfront lots that agree to pay for EPA's services.
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When sargassum arrives in Half Moon Bay it gets beached along the High Impact Zone ("HIZ"), an area that runs from Lot F-33 ("The Rock House") to Lot H-D ("La Mirage Condominiums"). Lots near the center of this HIZ are much more severely impacted than lots along the outer edges. So if each of the 29 lots that abut the HIZ paid a "Fair Share" of EPA's operating expenses their affordable monthly fees would be:
USD $335/mo......for each of the 14 lots with100% Sargassum Impact
USD $235/mo......for each of the 11 lots with 70% Sargassum Impact
USD $100/mo......for each of the 4 lots with 30% Sargassum Impact
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In 2023, however, only15 of 29 lots along the HIZ agreed to contribute towards barrier operating expenses. If these same 15 lots continue paying in 2024, their costs will be calculated as follows:
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NOTE: In 2022, nearly 100 supporters donated over USD $400,000 to the Yucatan Environmental Foundation (YEF) for the purchase & initial testing of a barrier to protect Half Moon Bay from the toxic harms of sargassum infestations. These charitable contributions were raised to cover the upfront investment and were not intended to cover the ongoing expense of operating the barrier over the life of the HMB Sargassum Project.
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