The Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ) analyzed water samples collected from Tinian’s recreational beaches this week. Samples collected from the following locations contained excessive concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (enterococci) that exceeded the CNMI Marine Water Quality Standards.  These bacteria can indicate the presence of human and animal waste in the water. However, studies have shown that storm water runoff in tropical environments may also contain these bacteria from the natural environment, which may not be directly associated with public health concerns.

The Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ) analyzes water samples collected from Saipan’s recreational western beaches and storm drainages every week as part of a regularly scheduled sampling program. None of the samples collected from Saipan’s west beaches contained excessive concentration of fecal indicator bacteria nor did they exceed the CNMI Marine Water Quality Standards.  Therefore, BECQ assigns all of the sampled beach sites a GREEN FLAG.

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