Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands water quality assessment
Bearden B, Castro F, Kaipat J, Tanaka C. 2002. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands water quality assessment. 305(b) Report. Division of Environmental Quality. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
The health and economic wellbeing of the people of the CNMI depend upon good water quality. Tourism is a major driving force behind the CNMI economy. Tourists come to see beautiful sandy beaches, clear blue water, and outstanding coral reefs and other marine environments. Both point and non-point source pollution are responsible for lowering the quality of the CNMI’s surface and ground waters. Sewage out-falls, sewer system overflows, sedimentation from unpaved roads and development, urban runoff, reverse osmosis discharges, and other nutrient sources are the most significant stressors on the CNMI’s surface and marine water quality. The largest ground water problems in the CNMI are high chlorides resulting from over-pumping of this basal aquifer in an effort to keep up with the increasing population demand, and nutrient and bacteria input from septic systems. Thirty-nine beach locations are monitored weekly for traditional surface water quality parameters. Unsurprisingly, in 2000 and 2001, most microbiological violations occurred in areas with heavy stormwater run-off. In conjunction with water quality concerns, the Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has recently initiated a Lagoon Monitoring Program. This report was designed to reach all local government agencies, decision makers, business people, teachers, and others who need to understand the issues regarding water quality of the CNMI.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Bearden, Brian; Castro, Frances; Kaipat, Jose; Tanaka, Clarissa
- Date of Issue
- 2002-04
- Publisher
- Division of Environmental Quality
- Units
- AMME
- Keywords
- basal aquifer, Clean Water Act, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), fish stocks, Pollution, reverse osmosis discharge, Runoff, Saipan, Sedimentation, Stressors, Water Quality