Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, this phase of the Kagman watershed project involves digging, concreting and extending three water channels — Waterways A, B and C — that will bring the runoffs to water reservoirs.
This phase costs close to $3 million — $1.79 million for the construction contract and a little over $1 million for the technical assistance that involves planning, design and contract administration.
The project, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Services Pacific Islands Director Lawrence Yamamoto, is very unique with multiple benefits to the people of the island.
Once completed, the project, which covers 3,750 acres of land in Kagman, will help protect the environment and the island’s economy, officials said.
It has two components: flood control and irrigation for farm plots.
Runoffs, instead of threatening the lives and safety of the villagers and the environment, will be stored in a reservoir and used to irrigate Saipan’s largest commercial farm.
Waterway A will lead the runoffs along Kagman Road from Isa Drive to the box culvert at the Kagman intersection; Waterway B will channel the runoffs from the southwestern side of Kagman farm; and Waterway C will bring the regulated flow of water from the box culvert all the way to the 70-million gallon reservoir.
Some of its stages have been completed since the project began in 1994.
The first part involving the establishment of wetland mitigation was completed in 1998. The second stage that involved putting up irrigation distribution system was completed in 1999. The waterway sediment basin or Waterway D was completed in 2002 while the installation of water control structures and large box culvert was completed in 2007.
Two more stages and the project’s all done.
Next will be the establishment of a sediment basin and the construction of the 70-million gallon water reservoir, which, Yamamoto said will depend on the availability of funds.
It was fortunate, he noted, that the Waterways A, B and C construction got funding from ARRA which ends in September.
“Now the problem is, each phase is determined by the availability of funds. If we will have enough funding for, let’s say, sediment basin, then, we can do it more quickly,” Yamamoto said adding that it is only for the current phase that they have ARRA funds.
State conservationist engineer Jeffrey C. Wheaton said the cost of the entire watershed project will reach up to $10 million.
Close to $4 million has already been spent in the earlier stages, about $3 million for this year’s work, and the next two stages are estimated to cost more than $3 million.
Senior policy adviser John Joyner expressed gratitude on behalf of the Gov. Benigno Fitial who was not able to attend the groundbreaking rites due to other “important affairs.”
He described the project as the best example of government of, for and by the people.
For his part, Saipan and Northern Islands Water and Soil Conservation District chairman Isidoro T. Cabrera thanked members of Kagman’s farming community for their patience.
Cabrera and the farmers also thanked Congressman Gregorio C. Sablan for making the funding possible.
He said with the project in place, “we can now hope to have a bountiful amount of local produce and, soon, cheaper prices of fruits and vegetables, which will reduce our dependence on imports. This way, revenue is kept in the CNMI and that is truly how our economy can become sustainable.”
