(BECQ) — The Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality analyzes water samples collected from Saipan’s west coast recreational beaches and storm drainages and the Grotto every week.
Samples collected from the following locations contained excessive concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria or enterococci that exceeded 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.
Still, to adequately address public health concerns, BECQ has given the following locations a red flag and advises the public not to fish or swim within 300 feet of these locations for the next 48 hours or until otherwise notified:
Sea plane ramp
AMP drainage
Garapan Beach
DPW Channel Bridge
Hyatt
Chalan Laulau Beach
Peace Park
Garapan Fishing Dock
San Jose Beach
Smiling Cove Marina
Drainage #3
