DEQ seeks solution to keep Saipan lagoon clean

Division of Environmental Quality Director Ignacio V. Cabrera has asked the House Committee on Natural Resources for assistance in maintaining water quality in the lagoon by finding solution to sewage and drainage discharges.

Sewer overflows which are a chronic problem on Saipan has been affecting the image of the Northern Marianas as a tourist destination. In a letter to Rep. Dino M. Jones, Chair of the Committee, Mr. Cabrera said Saipan lagoon is vulnerable to sewer overflows because the low points in the sewer line are almost always near a shoreline or drainage.

While overflows which are usually caused by pump failures at lift stations can be prevented with good maintenance, DEQ has been having difficulty enforcing the regulation prohibiting the discharge of sewage to any waters of the CNMI against the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. for a number of reasons.

DEQ has asked the legislature’s help in looking for more positive incentives to encourage CUC to improve their sewer system maintenance.

Similarly, illegal discharges of wastewater by island residents has also become a problem contributing to the pollution of lagoon and beaches. Farm animals kept near the drainage are also a major source of bacteria. “Your assistance in convincing the residents of your precint and the rest of Saipan to stop these harmful practices would be greatly appreciated,” Mr. Cabrera said.

Seeking the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the planning, design and construction of a comprehensive Water Runoff System Plan for Saipan, Tinian and Rota is an excellent solution, he added. However, the Department of Public Works has indicated that the Army Corps plan has been changed to focus more on flood control, with less regard for water quality.

DEQ’s permitting programs and public education efforts can only go so far in reducing the amount of “non-point source” pollution reaching the lagoon. Even before DEQ began to enforce strict stormwater control rules, the vast majority of roads and development in Saipan and the rest of the CNMI were already in place thus, transmitting accumulated pollutants directly to the lagoon when it rains.

Although public education can be of some help, Mr. Cabrera said many people will still continue to pollute through their routine daily activities because of both the “inconvenience” and cost of changing their behaviors.

The legislature may provide help in identifying funding for storm drainage/stormwater quality improvement structures and sewer system upgrades which may require large capital expenditures.

DEQ has been regularly issuing notices to Saipan residents about pollution in beaches warning them against fishing or swimming in certain areas due to the presence of fecal bacteria.

These disease-causing organisms can be washed into the lagoon during rainstorms which may be due to malfunctioning and overflowing of sewerlines; feces from dogs, cats and rats; diapers and similar items contained in litter and garbage; failing septic systems; illegal wastewater discharges; illegal cesspools and pit toilets.