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LauLau Watershed Restoration Project

On Saipan’s east coast, the coral reefs of Laolao Bay are severely threatened by sediment from eroding dirt and gravel roads, streambeds, and upland runoff. A partnership of local and federal agencies and community groups has been working to solve the problems. Funding and community effort is being devoted to reducing sediment flows, but more funding is needed to finish the work.

“…continued negative effects from sedimentation, Acanthaster planci predation, bleaching, recreational use, and storm damage have significantly changed the composition of the coral community at Laulau Bay.”
(The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, 2005)

The CNMI Marine Monitoring Team has documented changes to the Laolao reef. The table below shows negative trends that include a severe decline in coral coverage, and dominance by turf algae resulting from recent disturbances.

Over the past 10 years, agencies tried several times to solve the problem. These efforts were too small and uncoordinated and Typhoon Chaba proved the point in 2004. A massive mud flow covered the reef at the site where up to 200 divers a day normally enter the water. To find permanent solutions, the Coastal Resources Management Office (CRM) began a collaborative effort with the Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Department of Public Works (DPW), Department of Lands and Natural Resources (DLNR), Northern Marianas Community College, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, landowners, volunteer groups, residents, divers, and beach users.

CRM set aside money to design improvements to the access road and to fund revegetation of badlands in the upper watershed. The partnership drew in funding for a Know Your Watershed campaign from DEQ, and funding from DPW to divert drainage out of the watershed. DLNR agreed to grow plants at their forestry nursery for revegetation of the upper watershed. CNMI Power, a volunteer group, received $5,000 from a local business to buy tools for the revegetation project. Community meetings and other public outreach efforts involved watershed residents, beach users, divers, and landowners. Landowners agreed to give access to their land for the revegetation and stabilization work.

Road stabilization and stormwater controls are the major cost for restoring Laulau Bay. Engineering design for paving, drainage, and beach access improvements on Laolao Bay Drive is complete, and the project is ready to proceed as soon as construction funding becomes available. Stabilization of Gapgap Road, the main source of sediment at the dive site, requires funding for both design and construction.

Project Phases and Budget

* Final Engineer’s Estimate  ** Preliminary Estimate

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