Originally published in Directions Magazine; June/July 1996

Tumon Bay - Engineering a Better Environment

by Paul E.R. Packbier

The evening appeared perfect to watch the sunset. A cool, onshore breeze made the whole experience even better and would have created the ideal romantic setting . . . . if only the tide had not been out. The exposed floor of Tumon Bay revealed a gray, apparently dead, and smelly composition that infiltrated the twilight air and ruined the moment, and our sunset cocktails.

POLLUTED BEACHES

What is wrong with Guam’s number one tourist attraction, Tumon Bay? This did not smell like "the ocean" but rather like the outfall of the Agana Bay sewer treatment plant on a bad day. Residents are aware of Guam EPA’s frequent warnings about polluted beaches. However, these warnings come and go and we tend to attribute them to incidental occurrences instead of an indication of a more serious problem. What about those insidious and persistent algae that seem to have made this bay their favorite breeding spot? The fact is that the combination of the natural reef structure and our efforts in bringing tourists and residents close to the beauty of the area has created the ideal situation for this to happen.

ECOSYSTEMS

Aquatic ecosystems consist of the interacting streams, wetlands, lakes, uplands, the ocean, and groundwater systems commonly thought of as watersheds. Because the natural balance of the system has been upset, land uses within a watershed can result in ecological degradation,. Even so, the natural balance of the system might have intended for Tumon Bay to be silted in over time, creating additional landmass. We need to evaluate our long-term needs for this tourist attraction, and then take a proactive stance in insuring that those needs will not be jeopardized by either natural or man-made processes.

CLEAN WATER ACT

Over the last 23 years, the Clean Water Act (CWA) has produced large improvements in the water quality of the nation's surface waters. Most improvements were achieved through reductions in pollutants from point sources, or identifiable discharges. Despite these achievements, however, many surface waters still have not attained CWA goals. Ecological restoration is a tool that can produce improvements in the quality of water resources to support diverse, productive communities of plants and animals that provide significant ecological and social benefits. Ecological restoration is the restoration of chemical, physical, and/or biological components of a degraded system to a pre-disturbance condition and is also an important tool for preventing environmental degradation. The same tools can be used to engineer a system with a new natural balance. Strengthening structural or functional elements can help increase a system's tolerance to factors which lead to environmental degradation. By doing so, water quality and aquatic and terrestrial habitat will be improved, which, in turn, will lead to improvements in the aquatic and terrestrial communities that depend on that water.

HABITAT RESTORATION

Natural techniques to restore ecosystem components are distinct from treatment technologies or artificial structures that are inserted into the system. Natural restoration techniques use materials indigenous to the ecosystem. They are linked or incorporated into the dynamics of a water system in an attempt to create conditions in which ecosystem processes can withstand and diminish the impact of outside influences. Man-made technologies can be employed to create a suitable environment for an ecosystem to flourish where, previously, this possibility was not present. Dredging of inner reef areas, creation or reconfiguration and realignment of channels in the reef, the construction of jetties that alter the prevalent currents, seeding of dead reef areas with corals, and control of nonpoint pollution sources are possible ways to improve the habitat of Tumon Bay. Restoring or improving the physical habitat can help attain the aquatic life designated use, while simultaneously improving water quality. On-land and in-water restoration techniques that can restore equilibrium to sediment loads to the ocean, should include changes in land-use practices. Improvements in water quality and habitat quality generally lead to increases in biodiversity and improvements in ecological functions such as nutrient cycling and food chain relationships. Practices that reduce ammonia toxicity would, through similar mechanisms, reduce the toxicity of other substances, including hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg or sewage smell).

BASELINE EVALUATION

Prior to initiating any type of restoration technique, the existing environment and the interplay of present man-made and natural systems needs to be evaluated. The daily expansion of paved or covered structures in Tumon increases the amount of stormwater that is discharged directly into the ocean. Rainwater that previously infiltrated into the ground had a chance to be filtered. Pollutants such as metals, petroleum products, and agricultural chemicals are now routed directly into the bay at various locations along the beach. The sewer system along San Vitores Road might not be able to handle wastewater from the number of hotel rooms and residential dwellings in the area. Heavy rainfall and illegal diversion of stormwater into sewers frequently causes raw sewage to pour into the street and subsequently into the bay. The algae growth in the bay is a biological indicator of the underlying problem of too many nutrients in the bay.

It is time that Tumon Bay itself becomes part of the planning effort in Tumon. Well researched and engineered coastal zone modification projects can improve the area. The effects of development in the area are starting to appear. However, there are ways to make the bay more beautiful and healthier than even natural processes had intended.