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Four Saipan beaches red-flagged
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Posted on Apr 25 2008
The Division of Environmental Quality has raised the red flag on 4 sites on Saipan and advises the public not to fish or swim within 300 feet of these locations for the next 48 hours or until otherwise notified.
The agency said samples collected from Tanapag Meeting Hall, DPW Channel Bridge, Garapan Fishing Dock and Garapan Beach Drainage 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.
Tinian and Managaha waters are assigned green flags.
DEQ analyzes samples of marine recreational and storm drainage water from 50 locations on Saipan, 10 on Tinian, 12 on Rota and a total of 11 samples from the shore surrounding Managaha. For more information, contact DEQ at 664-8500. [B][I](DEQ)[/I][/B]
