DPW, he said, will turn in an application for a major siting permit to the Coastal Resource Management Office so the department can move ahead with the $10 million project.
The other regulatory bodies, like the Division of Environmental Quality, have already seen almost the whole design which DPW, through Earth Tech, has been generating since 2006.
Although the project will improve the island’s aesthetics and provide the public with an additional leisure facility, it is basically a way to close the notorious dump and prevent a potential contamination of the waters surrounding Saipan’s port area.
The old dump, Songsong said, produces 160 different substances that carried by runoff to the lagoon.
Although there is no significant impact since 2001, the closure of the 19-acre dump, which will eventually pave the way for the construction of a park, has been recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency consistent with federal requirements.
The dump has not received garbage since 2003, but it can only be considered officially closed when the construction of the park has been completed.
Federal law also requires the CNMI to provide post-closure care during which the water underneath the dump will be tested twice a year in 30 years.
This also involves, among other things, the testing of gas coming out of the landfill.
DPW has been holding weekly meetings with regulatory bodies to discuss the park project.
Last week, the department met with H.K. Pangelinan & Associates, the construction management firm that will oversee the project when it is contracted to the construction firm that will submit the winning bid.
DPW, Songsong said, is hoping that it will be able to begin the construction in February next year.
