Achugao

Achugao watershed is the most recently identified priority watershed in the CNMI. As a major contributor to drainage in the Saipan Lagoon, spanning from Lower Base to San Roque, conditions in Achugao have a direct effect on the status of waters in the Lagoon.Achugao watershed hosts diverse terrestrial and marine habitats, including limestone forests, grasslands, freshwater and brackish wetlands, mangroves, seagrass, and coral reef. Additionally, Achugao watershed includes some of the largest and most consistently flowing stream systems in the CNMI. Pollutants—such as runoff and sedimentation—flow down the watershed as surface and subsurface flows, polluting and impairing fresh- and marine waters. BECQ and its partners are collaborating in order to develop a Watershed Management Plan (WMP) to help guide management and restoration for the benefit of Achugao watershed and the greater Saipan Lagoon ecosystem.