A recent workshop by government employees showed that land-based pollution has been identified as a major threat to coral reef health after a survey in the Garapan area and looked for potential sources and solutions for storm water pollution.
In November 2006, surface water and groundwater protection became the focal point of action for stakeholders after a roundtable discussion between the auto repair shop industry sector on Saipan and the CNMI Department of Environmental Quality.
An estimated 18,000 junk cars are on the island, according to the Saipan mayor’s office.
But the numbers of junk cars on the island have been cut to half, said Eric Cruz, president of Ericco LLC/Basula Produkto.
A campaign to rid the island of junk cars in 2006 was spearheaded by Beautify CNMI in partnership with government and private sectors.
Ericco LLC continued the collection of the unattended vehicles.
The on-going campaign to make the island clean and green got a big boost after Zoning Office administrator Victor Barrett vowed to cite owners of junk cars and other nuisances at their own expense as mandated by the current zoning law.
Environmentalists and the government point out the damaging effects of everything that basically isn’t disposed of, unattended or not properly stored and washes into the ocean and smothers coral reefs as storm water comes in.
Saipan depends on clean water for drinking and tourism, it stressed.
Unattended vehicles later turn to be junk cars either on private compounds, by the roadside, or at auto repair shops harm the environment because storm water that passes through auto repair shops carry harmful chemicals, trash, and top soil into the environment.
Contaminated storm water can carry and pollutants into reservoirs, creeks, and the ocean as well as chemicals (such as oil and gasoline) can also contaminate soils and groundwater used for drinking, according to DEQ.
Slowly, contaminated storm water can cause illness and disease in humans and can damage the beautiful and the unique environmental beauty of Saipan.
Tourism that is very important to the local economy is affected also because of the impact of contaminated storm water chemicals as well as litter and trash from auto shops.
On the other hand, Zoning administrator Barrett is ringing the bell, particularly the owners, about the effects of abandoned vehicles and equipment on the island which he described is already in its general degradation.
In a nutshell, junk cars affect the environment, the local economy and potentially breeds crime.
There are basic tips to prevent or address storm water, like investigating or checking broken sewer systems and take immediate repairs.
Sediment entering storm drain, that is polluted water going straight into storm drains, can be addressed by installing rain catchment and rain gardens, more importantly mark storm drains and help educate people.
Regular maintenance will also help blocked or clogged inlets.
As for the junk cars, Barrett said he got support from Ericco LLC and Triple Star recycling companies.
In separate interviews with the Variety, Cruz and Tony Reyes, of Triple Star are offering the public their free services to pick up their abandoned vehicles.
Ericco LLC can be contacted at 3220456, while Triple Star can be contacted at 3230362.
