Pacific Islands
Large Aquatic Ecosystem (LAE)
EPA
COUNCIL OF LARGE
AIATIC
The U.S. Pacific Island territories (Guam, CNMI, and
American Samoa) face significant environmental and public commonwealth
health challenges. Environmental infrastructure in the islands - °ft^ieN°rjhe"1
particularly the lack of adequate drinking water and r'™a
wastewater facilities - is a persistent threat to public health *Guam
and aquatic ecosystems. The inability of the Pacific territories
to obtain the resources needed to upgrade ageing
infrastructure remains the primary challenge to achieving
environmental health goals in the islands. P»I™
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Challenges
Guam's fragile environmental infrastructure poses a
significant public health risk. Until recently, Guam had some Al"ifial'11 '-iV.'J
of the worst water problems in the U.S., with over 500 million
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gallons of raw sewage spills between 1999 and 2002. During
that same time period, almost 8% of residents didn't have access to adequate plumbing (piped drinking
water and/or toilet facilities) - 6.5 times the national average of 1.2% - and residents endured nearly
constant boil-water notices due to unsafe drinking water. Guam's municipal dump is a 50-year-old unlined,
uncontrolled dump that has been over capacity for 20 years; it leaches chemicals into the Lonfit River and
has caught fire repeatedly. Compounding these issues, current plans to move a Marine base from Okinawa
to Guam and upgrade existing Navy and Air Force facilities - doubling the size of the military presence on
Guam - will increase Guam's population 25% by 2014, putting additional strains on an already
overburdened environmental infrastructure.
In the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), growth has strained the ability of the
local government to provide adequate infrastructure and environmental protection. The island of Saipan is
the only municipality of its size in the United States without 24-hour water delivery; for almost half of
Saipan's residents, water flows through their pipes only a few hours per day. And the water isn't drinkable
because of its high salinity. The islands of the CNMI are also littered with hundreds of thousands of rounds
of unexploded ordnance left over from World War II, posing risks for residents and hindering economic
development.
American Samoa faces significant environmental and public health challenges, including lack of
wastewater treatment and disposal. Nearly 40% of households do not have adequate indoor plumbing
(piped water, a toilet, or both) - more than 30 times the national average. Seventeen percent of residents
have tested positive for Leptospirosis, a serious waterborne disease associated with improperly managed
pig waste. And contamination from heavy metals and other toxics in the inner portion of Pago Pago Harbor
make fish unsafe to eat.
Priorities
EPA's overarching goals in the U.S. Pacific Island territories are:
• Safeguard the environmental health of the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands by addressing environmental
priorities such as drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, solid waste and recycling, hazardous
waste, and coral reefs.
• Build local environmental protection capacity by providing resources, technical assistance, and training.
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Accomplishments
Guam's water is now the safest it has been in decades. With vigorous EPA
oversight of a court order, Guam Waterworks Authority (GWA) has eliminated boil
water notices for four years in a row, and continues to reduce sewage spills by
99.9% compared to pre-enforcement. GWA made additional physical
improvements to the system, including completing the $15 million rehabilitation of
Guam's two largest wastewater plants and completing the rehabilitation of a major
water booster pump station and water transmission line.
American Samoa took great strides in battling the sometimes-fatal waterborne
disease Leptospirosis by going after its main source: waste from small pig farms.
Using funds provided by EPA, in FY07 American Samoa's "Team Lepto"
conducted 130 inspections of small pig farms, or piggeries, many of which were
located on streams for easy disposal of waste. The team closed 62 non-compliant
piggeries and is working with 51 owners to bring their pig farms into compliance
with local regulations. As a result, "Team Lepto" has reduced the nutrient loading
from pig waste into the territory's waters by 16,000 pounds, protecting public
health and nearby coral reefs. In one watershed, bacterial contamination was
reduced by over 90%.
Enforcement continues to play a major role in the U.S. Pacific Island territories.
Following on the success of Guam's court-ordered water and wastewater
improvements, the Pacific Islands Office developed two stipulated orders to
improve water and wastewater systems and prevent oil spills in the CNMI. The
first order requires the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. (CUC) to undertake major
improvements to Saipan's drinking water and wastewater systems, ensuring
compliance with discharge permit limits, preventing sewer overflows, and moving
the island closer to achieving a safe, reliable drinking water supply for all residents.
A second order mandates that CUC comply with oil spill prevention and
preparedness rules and ensures that steps are taken to prevent future discharges
of oil into ocean waters.
Future Direction
Pacific Islands-specific strategic targets are included in EPA's national strategic
plan in order to ensure EPA accountability in providing the same level of environ-
mental protection in the Pacific territories as in the U.S. mainland. The program's
goals are:
• By 2014, 95% of the population in each of the U.S. Pacific Island territories served by
community drinking water systems will receive drinking water that meets all applicable
health-based drinking water standards throughout the year.
By 2014, sewage treatment plants in the U.S. Pacific Island territories will comply
90% of the time with permit limits for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total
suspended solids (TSS).
• By 2014, beaches in each of the U.S. Pacific Island territories monitored under the
Beach Safety Program will be open and safe for swimming 96% of days of the beach
season.
The Pacific Islands Office in EPA Region 9 will continue to work with territorial
governments, utilities, and our partner federal agencies to identify and leverage
significant new resources to enable us to meet these ambitious goals.
The Pacific Islands Facts
Watershed Size: 470 square miles (combined land area of Guam, CNMI, and American Samoa)
Waterbody Size: 527,462 square miles (combined EEZ of Guam, CNMI, and American Samoa)
Population: 327,322 (July 2008 est.)
EPA Region: 9
EPA LAE Contact: Michael Mann
The Pacific
Islands Office was
designated a
member of the US
Environmental
Protection Agency's
Large Aquatic
Ecosystem Council (LAE) in 2008.
The Pacific Islands Program joins
nine other geographic-based efforts
that focus on protecting and
restoring the health of critical aquatic
ecosystems. The LAE Council
seeks to merge geographically-
based efforts with national water
programs to advance the health of
the Nation's large aquatic
ecosystems and strengthen national
water programs.
LAE Program Websites
Chesapeake Bay Program
www.chesapeakebay.net
Columbia River Basin
www.epa.gov/region10/columbia
Great Lakes
www.epa.gov/glnpo
Gulf of Mexico Program
www.epa.gov/gmpo
Lake Champlain Basin Program
www.lcbp.org
Long Island Sound Study
www.longislandsoundstudy.net
Pacific Islands Office
www.epa.gov/region09/islands
Puget Sound - Georgia Basin
(Under Construction)
San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary
(Under Construction)
South Florida Geographic Initiative
www.epa.gov/Region4/water/
southflorida
Office of Wetlands, Oceans,
and Watersheds
www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/
partnerships/large_aquatic.html
October 2008
Large Aquatic Ecosystems
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