DPW assures As Gonno debris site is safe, vows cleanup by end of July

Department of Public Works Secretary Ray N. Yumul assured residents that the As Gonno Temporary Debris Storage and Reduction site does not pose a health hazard despite complaints on social media about unpleasant odors, while apologizing to nearby residents for the smell and pledging to have the temporary debris processing site cleared by the end of July.

During a site visit by Marianas Press last July 15, Yumul said the odor comes primarily from processed wood chips and construction and demolition debris—not rotting waste.

"There may be some hint of a slight odor, but it's not a health hazard. It's not that toxic to the point where it becomes a concern."

He said the Division of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Corps' contractor, Environmental Chemical Corp., are continuously monitoring the facility to ensure it operates safely.

"There's a lot of monitoring involved, and we're ensuring that the site is safe. And with the proper safeguards in place, we're ensuring that the facility operates within these safeguards."

Yumul also responded to concerns raised on Facebook by resident Damiana Adel D. Lee, who posted: "Still growing and now starting to stink up the neighborhood. Typhoon season not over. Health hazard! A help Community leaders."

While maintaining the site is safe, Yumul apologized for the inconvenience.

"For that person, we do apologize. There is going to be some odor being emitted. It's natural, but it's not a safety concern because this site is not receiving any type of putrefied food... Those have gone up to the landfill and was properly disposed of."

The DPW secretary said crews are working aggressively to finish processing all remaining Super Typhoon Sinlaku debris and remove the stockpiles before the end of the month.

"We have a goal that by the end of this month, our target date of July 29, we're actually going to complete the baling of the metals... The C&D (construction and demolition) is going to be the last pile that will be processed and removed to the landfill... Once we're done, everything you see behind me will pretty much go away."

Yumul also provided an update on debris processing.

Nearly 30,000 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris have been collected, with approximately 6,800 cubic yards—about 23%—already processed and transferred to the landfill. About 25,000 cubic yards of metals have been collected, with nearly 19,000 cubic yards, or 75%, already processed. Roughly 1,600 metal bales have been completed out of an estimated total of 2,000. Meanwhile, about 56,000 cubic yards of vegetative woody debris have been collected, with around 46,000 cubic yards already ground into mulch and transported to a temporary staging area outside the Marpi landfill for eventual public distribution. About 1,000 lbs of freon have also been recovered from discarded appliances, with that work about 83% complete.

Yumul said the recovered appliances are being loaded into shipping containers and will leave the CNMI for recycling.

"All the appliances at this site will leave the island."

He added that DPW, the Army Corps, and ECC are also working to ship baled scrap metal off-island for recycling, while locally interested recyclers may participate if they agree by contract to export the materials from the Commonwealth.

Yumul also said DPW has dispatched personnel to Rota to assist with the island's recovery following Super Typhoon Bavi.

He said two DPW teams—comprising about 14 to 18 personnel—were scheduled to deploy to the island to help the Municipality of Rota clear debris from major roadways.

"I am sending two teams down to Rota. It's about a 14-18-man team. They're going to go down and assist the municipality in cutting and removing debris along the major roads, Route 10, Route 100, other roadways [on] Rota so that we can reopen these critical access routes."

Yumul said the teams will also work with local officials on establishing a Temporary Debris Storage and Reduction site similar to the one operating on Saipan.

"We're looking at setting up a TDSR on Rota so that we can collect all eligible typhoon-related debris so that we can process it and bring it to final disposition."

In addition, DPW is deploying a Technical Services Division engineer to assist the municipality in assessing damage to government facilities.

"I am sending an engineer from our TSD office here at DPW to go down and assist the municipality by providing damage assessments for all government offices and facilities."