THE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its Hawaii-based contractor Environet, Inc. are urging the CNMI government to help in the planned major restoration of Saipan’s degrading lagoon.
Yesterday, federal and local officials convened at the Coastal Resources Management to discuss the five available options to restore the island lagoon.
Milton Yoshimoto, project manager of the Army Corps Honolulu District’s civil works branch, said the requirements—like providing lands, easements, right-of-way and necessary relocation—need to be enforced before the actual project construction.
“Without local assistance, this project may not be realized,” said Yoshimoto during the one-hour meeting.
For example, there are five potential sites for the construction of retention/detention basins and wetlands.
The CNMI government needs to ensure that all the private and public lands covered in the project will be made available, along with providing all access routes and relocation of utilities necessary for the project construction, its operation and maintenance.
Rep. Arnold Palacios, R-Saipan and chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, said the Legislature and the administration support this project, and look forward to its completion.
“We are all one in saying that we need to do something to protect and restore our marine environment,” said Palacios, adding that his committee may introduce a bill appropriating local funds for the project.
The options presented by the Army Corps and Environet include: no action; collect and convey stormwater offshore; construct retention/detention basins; create constructed wetlands; and construct combination of retention/detention basins and constructed wetlands.
The area under consideration covers a 1.5-mile length of shoreline in western Saipan, from the Garapan fishing base to the Quarter Master Road intersection.
Dr. Steven R. Spengler, senior hydrogeologist of Environet, said a draft cost analysis for each one of the options is expected to be completed in Jan. 2003.
“That analysis would include which of the options will give the best benefit to the environment, and how much would it cost,” said Spengler.
In his presentation, Spengler said the overall project objective is to restore degraded ecosystem structure, function and dynamic processes to a less degraded, more natural condition.
“Specifically, an attempt will be made to re-establish, as closely as possible, conditions which would occur in the area in the absence of human changes to the landscape and hydrology,” he said.
The analysis will then be presented to the CNMI which will decide which of the options to take.
Representatives from the Marianas Public Lands Authority, the Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Division of Environmental Quality were also present during the meeting.
