Milestone CNMI solid waste infrastructure project is completed
ANNOUNCEMENTS | September 08, 2023
The Marpi Landfill Cell 2 Rehabilitation Project, a milestone for critical solid waste infrastructure planning in the CNMI, has been completed. This revamped landfill cell gives the CNMI ample space for its solid waste for the next decade. Significantly, the Marpi Landfill Cell 2 Rehabilitation Project is the CNMI's first Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act (ASADRA)-funded critical solid waste infrastructure project to move forward and be completed. This funding through ASADRA appropriations totals $56 million and is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The funding and execution of many other critical solid waste infrastructure projects in the CNMI relies on the EPA's review and approval of a comprehensive solid waste plan for the CNMI. The CNMI's own Comprehensive Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, or the CISWMP, is in development.
While the Department of Public Works (DPW) prepares for the eventual closure of the currently in-use Cell 1, Cell 2 will be turned over to DPW and begin accepting solid waste around the last quarter of 2023.
“The work on Cell 2 is a testament to the commitment DPW, the CNMI, and its federal partners have to environmental protection. This improvement at the Marpi Landfill positions Saipan to have safe, reliable landfilling services for many years. As we plan additional waste reduction and recycling initiatives in the CNMI, we anticipate each landfill cell to last significantly longer than originally projected”, said Secretary of Public Works Ray N. Yumul.
“We're all very happy to see this project completed. Despite some minor delays due to rain, this project moved along as scheduled. The liners and leachate pumping systems installed at Cell 2 are more than enough for the CNMI's current solid waste management needs and are like what you'd expect to see in larger, state-of-the-art landfills in the U.S., and reflect the CNMI's ongoing commitment to achieving and maintaining sustainable and environmentally compliant waste management systems”, said Senior Solid Waste Engineer for the Office of Planning and Development (OPD) Ricardo Miranda.
OPD thanks and congratulates everyone who played an integral role in achieving this important milestone with Marpi Cell 2 and appreciates the ongoing commitments to expand the CNMI's ability to effectively, responsibly, and safely manage its solid waste for years to come.
Additional planning and project implementation support, including Marpi back-up power and electrification feasibility analysis as well as Zero Waste and composting initiatives, is ongoing in coordination with the ASADRA-supported ISWMT. For more information and project updates visit opd.gov.mp.
Representatives from the CNMI Department of Public Works (DPW), CNMI Office of Planning and Development (OPD), Gutteridge, Haskins, & Davey (GHD) Inc., and Micronesian Environmental Services (MES) come together for a group photo at Marpi Landfill Cell 2 after conducting a final inspection of the project site on September 7, 2023. With the Marpi Landfill Cell 2 Rehabilitation Project completed, Cell 2 will be turned over to DPW and begin accepting solid waste around the last quarter of 2023.
From left: Acting Director of DPW Solid Waste Management Division Kenn Aldan, DPW Senior Highway Engineer Henry Bautista, OPD Senior Solid Waste Engineer Ricardo Miranda, MES Site Manager Jack Deleon Guerrero, MES Site Electrician George Babauta, GHD Construction Engineer Rouscel de Belen, GHD Project Manager Veth Jimenez, and MES Project Manager James Benavente.
Project Manager for Micronesian Environmental Services James Benavente demonstrates Marpi Landfill Cell 2's new leachate pumping system control panel. The control panel provides real-time data on the water levels present at Cell 2 and the rate at which water is pumped out of Cell 2. The installation of this leachate pumping system and the accompanying control panel was a critical component of the Marpi Landfill Cell 2 Rehabilitation Project.
A June 27, 2023 file photo of the leachate pumping system installed at the sump of Marpi Landfill Cell 2. This pumping system at the bottom of this landfill cell works in tandem with the multiple layers of landfill liner to safeguard the groundwater and surrounding area from leachate, which is the liquid that forms when rainwater or other fluids pass through and pick up contaminants from the waste materials in a landfill.
A June 27, 2023 file photo of the newly installed layers of landfill liner installed along the berm separating Marpi Landfill Cell 2 from Cell 3. As part of the Marpi Landfill Cell 2 Rehabilitation Project, existing layers of landfill liner were repaired and welded, and new liner was installed along the berm.
In this June 20, 2023 file photo, construction workers install a layer of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane along Marpi Landfill Cell 2’s separation berm. HDPE geomembrane is typically deployed as a primary barrier against the movement of leachate and waste materials from the landfill into the surrounding environment. Leachate is the liquid that forms when rainwater or other fluids pass through and pick up contaminants from the waste materials in a landfill.