Five Saipan sites red-flagged

Posted on Nov 16 2006

The Division of Environmental Quality has raised the red flag on five sites on Saipan and has advised the public not to fish or swim within 300 feet of these locations for the next 48 hours, or until otherwise notified.

DEQ said samples collected from Central Repair Shop Beach, DPW Channel Bridge, South Puerto Rico Dump, American Memorial Park Drainage, and Hopwood Beach contained excessive concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (enterococci) that exceeded the CNMI Marine Water Quality Standards.

These bacteria can indicate the presence of human and animal waste in the water. However, studies have shown that storm water runoff in tropical environments may also contain these bacteria from the natural environment, which may not be directly associated with public health concerns.

The agency analyzes samples of marine recreational and storm drainage water from 38 locations on Saipan’s coast. Contact DEQ at 664-8500 with any questions. (PR)

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