Apra Harbor, GUAM – Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, Guam Environmental Protection Agency, Guam Department of Public Health, Guam Department of Agriculture’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency toxicologist will lead a town hall meeting at the Senior Citizen Center in Merizo Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.
The town hall meeting is to discuss the results of fish, water and soil sampling conducted last summer in the area adjacent to a former Coast Guard Long Range Navigation (LORAN) Station on the southern tip of Cocos Island.
The additional sampling of the fish, soil and water was to better determine the level of contamination, and the distance potential contaminants traveled from the site. The scope of work included ground water sampling; ocean water sampling; soil sampling; and catching and sampling of territorial and commonly consumed fish in close proximity of the former station’s beach area and other areas of Cocos Lagoon.
The Coast Guard’s Civil Engineering Unit in Honolulu and the GEPA worked closely to ensure that the sampling addressed community concerns that were raised during a town hall meeting in March, 2006.
The Coast Guard received the draft report last fall and forwarded to the Guam Environmental Protection Agency for their review and comment.
The agencies will continue to collaborate on continued work plans for the Cocos Island site.
