Location:
Tanapag Harbor is the primary harbor for the island of Saipan in the
Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. Tanapag Harbor is on the western
side of the island (15.220436 N, 145.730429 E).
Project Partners:
Overview: The Puerto Rico Dump covers 20 acres adjacent
to and extending into Tanapag Harbor. The Puerto Rico dump received municipal
and industrial waste, scrap metal, and unexploded ordnance from the 1940s until
2003, when a new sanitary landfill was opened on the island. Because of
concerns about contaminants from the dump migrating into harbor sediments and
biota, NOAA Assessment and Restoration Division and NOAA Pacific Services
Center scientists collected a limited number of sediment, fish, and other
marine biota samples adjacent to the Puerto Rico Dump from August 10 to 13,
2005. Samples were analyzed for heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls,
and chlorinated pesticides. Results are provided in a data
report.
