‘Volume of contaminated soil greater than expected’

The volume of contaminated soil being excavated from Capital Hill’s I-Denni/Edoni area exceeds the original estimate of only up to 600 cubic yards as part of the ongoing federally funded cleanup involving cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls, arsenic and lead, among other toxic chemicals.

At the same time, a lawmaker actively involved in the PCB contamination cleanup in Tanapag years ago said yesterday that there should be a “comprehensive” assessment that includes health screening among residents living near the I-Denni barrow pit.

This pit was used by the U.S. military as a waste repository in the 1940s.

“It took this long to have the site cleaned up, but it’s better than not cleaning it up at all,” said House Health Committee chair Rep. Sylvester Iguel (Cov-Saipan). “There should be a comprehensive assessment just like what they did in Tanapag, including health screening of residents.”

Ray Masga, manager of the Division of Environmental Quality’s Site Assessment and Remediation Branch, said yesterday that the ongoing cleanup is funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Masga, who has been with DEQ for 13 years, said the Army Corps contractor excavated contaminated soil that was “more than what was anticipated,” which was up to 600 cubic yards.

“For me, it’s good that we know they are removing the contaminated soil that they are able to identify, even though the volume is exceeding the level that was originally anticipated,” he told Saipan Tribune.

Masga said the Army Corps contractor is the Hawaii-based Wil-Chee Planning Inc., and the subcontractors include Unitek, AIC Marianas, and APEC.

As of Monday, the contractor has already filled 15 containers with PCB-contaminated soil. Masga said each 20-foot container has 14 huge white sacks of PCB-contaminated soil, and will be shipped to a U.S. mainland disposal facility.

Masga said that soil contaminated with metals like arsenic and lead are brought to the Marpi landfill for disposal. He assured, though, that this tainted soil has to be tested or evaluated first to determine if it is considered safe for disposal before being dumped at the landfill.

It’s not known how much in PCB-tainted and metal-tainted soil has already been extracted and how much more are expected to be extracted. The Army Corps official out of Hawaii in charge of the ongoing cleanup is currently off-island.

Masga said that DEQ coordinates with the Army Corps and serves as the local agency with oversight over the cleanup.

Public Lands Secretary Oscar M. Babauta separately said that once the I-Denni area is completely cleaned up of waste and contaminants, the area will be turned into a homestead subdivision.

DEQ’s Masga said that the ongoing cleanup is expected to be completed by middle of February.

Another visit to the area near the excavation site showed jumbo white sacks of PCB-tainted soil waiting to be loaded to a truck and then to a container. The white sacks are labeled, “Non-RCRA Regulated Waste,” and the shipper is the Army Corps.

The Army Corps had confirmed in 2002 the PCB and lead contamination in the I-Denni area. The 1.4-acre site lies approximately in the center of a 7.43-acre undeveloped parcel owned by the CNMI Department of Public Lands. This parcel is surrounded by residential dwellings, a boat repair facility, and dense jungle vegetation.