Pina Plateau, Tinian
The Pina Plateau is approximately 600 acres, immediately adjacent to a former US military ordnance storage depot known as the Masalog Ridge Area, on the island of Tinian. Due to its close proximity to the Masalog Ridge area, and as a result of the airstrikes of Tinian during WWII, there is a likely potential of UXOs within the Pina Plateau area as have been found elsewhere on the island.
The island of Tinian held strategic importance to all (U.S and Japanese military) involved with the events of WWII. After the taking of Saipan by the US forces, Tinian was the next logical island to invade to claim the Marianas. On July, 1944 the naval forces bombarded the island and artillery was fired across the strait from Saipan. The battle of Tinian led to almost daily aerial bombardment of the island from U.S. warships and planes.
The potential UXO contamination at the Pina Plateau occurred during and after World War II, prior to the landowner acquiring the property. The property was returned from the Trust Territory government when the CNMI government was created in 1976. The property is currently owned by the Department of Public Lands (DPL), which is in charge of managing public properties in the CNMI and is under the Executive Branch of the CNMI government.
With the likely potential of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and other WWII vintage explosive components at the Pina Plateau area, the area presents a likely significant health and physical hazards to general public. Additionally, the Pina Plateau is one of the few largest public land available on Tinian for economic development projects, which is also outside of the two-thirds of the US military controlled area.
Executive Summary Phase I ESA Report
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ), retained Allied Pacific Environmental Consulting (APEC), to conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of the Pina Plateau on the island of Tinian, MP. This investigation was conducted in general accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process, Standard E 1527-13. Work carried out during this ESA included reconnaissance of the subject and adjoining properties, interviews and review of historical records and regulatory databases in an effort to identify evidence of environmental conditions which may include, but are not limited to, the presence of hazardous materials, petroleum products or soil vapor impacts that may affect the environmental quality of the property.
The approximately 600 acre site is owned by the Department of Public Lands (DPL). The site is located approximately 1.5 miles northeast of San Jose Village and approximately 1.5 miles east of the Tinian Airport Runway. the property consist of an elongated oval shaped plateau, which is approximately 2 miles long (north to south) and approximately 0.5 wide ( east to west). (ft) about mean sea level. at the time of this ESA, the property is undeveloped and heavily vegetated.
Category: Brownfields
Coordinates: N-14.9991064971, E-145.660711678
Island: Tinian
Village: San Jose
Response Status: Approved on March 31, 2015; Phase I ESA Completed on December 28, 2015.
Land Use Restrictions: None
Institutional Controls: None
Responsible Party: Unknown
Enforcement Authority: Non-Enforcement Project
Project Lead: Division of Environmental Quality
Property Status: Public Land
Date Entered into Public Record: May 15, 2014
Coordinates: N-14.9991064971, E-145.660711678
Island: Tinian
Village: San Jose
Response Status: Approved on March 31, 2015; Phase I ESA Completed on December 28, 2015.
Land Use Restrictions: None
Institutional Controls: None
Responsible Party: Unknown
Enforcement Authority: Non-Enforcement Project
Project Lead: Division of Environmental Quality
Property Status: Public Land
Date Entered into Public Record: May 15, 2014