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‘Creek water to be tested for sewage contamination’
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Posted on Oct 31 2005
The Division of Environmental Quality disclosed that it would take water samples from a Tanapag creek to confirm if it has indeed been contaminated with sewage before any mitigation action can be implemented.
The usually clear water flowing to the nearby beach from the creek has turned murky, posing a threat to the marine water quality at the nearby beach. The Saipan Tribune also observed Saturday that there were many dead fish, mostly tilapia, at the creek.
DEQ public information officer Reina Camacho said the agency has been collaborating with the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and the Coastal Resources Management Office to address the problem. But in an earlier interview with CRMO chief enforcement officer Zerlyn Salas Alcazar, she said that the problem falls within the DEQ’s jurisdiction.
Both the DEQ and the CRMO have issued no citation to any entity regarding the sewage contamination. Camacho said the DEQ was still in the process of ascertaining the source of contamination, if it is confirmed to be positive.
It remained unclear as to how the creek became contaminated by sewage, but Tanapag residents said there used to be a sewer pump station nearby.
In an interview Saturday, Tanapag resident Joe Ruak said the contamination problem had been going on for nearly two weeks. Ruak disclosed that CUC personnel visited the site sometime last week and conducted water sampling, which reportedly confirmed the presence of sewage on the creek.
But the Ruak family who lives by the creek said the CUC had told them that it was waiting for the green light from the CRMO before it could pump out the contaminated water. CUC wastewater branch manager Bernard Lotoc could not be reached for an interview yesterday afternoon.
The creek leads to the nearby beach that is usually ideal for swimming. This reporter observed that the creek water flows directly into the beach, thus threatening to contaminate the Saipan Lagoon.
