Environmentally Sound Approaches for Stormwater Management on Pacific Island Nations

This paper and presentation will focus on the unique stormwater management issues facing small Pacific Islands (e.g. highly erodible soils, severe precipitation events, dense and varied land use, public recreation in receiving waters, and sensitive benthic environments) and present environmentally sound and sustainable technologies to address these issues. The development of the Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) for the Garapan drainage on the Island of Saipan, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is used as a case study for the paper, and we will present how the unique island culture and challenges lead to the development of Best Management Practices for this drainage that are environmentally sound, sustainable and effective.