Managaha Island
Managaha Island is a significant cultural and historical site that is 13.2 acres in size located off the western coast of the island of Saipan inside the lagoon. The entire island is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. Managaha is a popular destination for CNMI visitors offering recreational activities such as parasailing, snorkeling and jet-skiing. The island is frequented by the locals for camping as they enjoy the island as a weekend “getaway”. Managaha receives over 300 tourists per day. Historically, Managaha was utilized as a World War II defensive position for Japanese forces leaving remnants of WWII bunkers and anti-aircraft gun, and it is the burial ground of a famous Carolinian Chief. The island has designated USFWS conservation and nesting habitats for the threatened Green Sea turtles and the migratory Shearwater birds.
The subject site is located approximately 1.6 miles to the west of Saipan. Managaha Island developments consist of a pier, six (6) picnic areas, a trail, fenced shearwater bird nesting areas, food service areas including bathroom facilities, areas for visitor information, vendor sales, equipment rentals, offices, and storage, four (4) abandoned bunkers, membrane filter wastewater treatment plant and pump/ controller room, two (2) septic tanks, one (1) leaching field, one (1) active/one (1) inactive water well, rain water catchment with four (4) associated 5,000 gallon fiberglass above ground storage tanks (ASTs), reverse osmosis water treatment with seven (7) associated 5,000 gallon fiberglass ASTs’, seven (7) pavilion picnic areas, and a generator room. Located on the subject site are ten (10) mounds that contain buried drums and other metal objects, whereas, one (1) area contains a pile of decomposing of marine batteries, and lastly, another area that contained potentially war era bullets. A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of the Managaha Buried Drum Site was completed in September 2011. A Phase II ESA was conducted in December 2013, sampling and analysis were done on Managaha Island to confirm the Recognized Environmental Concerns (REC) identified in the Phase I ESA report, which was done in September 2011.
Using Brownfields 128(a) funding, a cleanup was done in November 2014 to remove the pesticide-contaminated soil, buried rusty drums, as well as discarded marine batteries from two small isolated areas. Afterwards, forty two (42) cubic yards of pesticide-contaminated soil, twenty three (23) rusted drums, and seventeen (17) discarded marine batteries were excavated and removed, The excavated soils and debris were then secured in Waste Away® drum containers, and transported off Managaha for disposal at the RCRA C Marpi Landfill on Saipan. Confirmation soil samples were collected at one foot depths beneath the site of the buried drums, and analyzed at a mainland USEPA approved laboratory. The confirmation soil sample results produced non-detect results for the contaminants of concern. Restoration of the marine battery disposal site was completed in accordance with the USFWS permit for a Green Sea Turtle nesting area. The CNMI depends on tourism, and Managaha Island will continue to be a popular tourist destination and play a vital role in our economy, as well as being an important place in CNMI history and in the hearts of the CNMI citizens. The cleanup action project was done in March 2015.
Category: Brownfields
Coordinates: 15° 14′ 29.04″ N, 145° 42′ 45.72″ E
Island: Managaha Island (west of Saipan)
Village: N/A
Response Status: Phase I ESA Completed (April - Sept. 2011); Phase II ESA Completed (July - Dec. 2013); Removal Action (Mar. 2015)
Land Use Restrictions: Recreational / Cultural
Institutional Control: None
Responsible Party: Unknown
Enforcement Authority: Non-Enforcement Project
Project Lead: Division of Environmental Quality
Property Status: Public Land
Date Entered into Public Record: Revised on December 28, 2017