Another phase of environmental cleanup at Caneel Bay in Virgin Islands National Park expected to begin next year/NPS file

Work is expected to begin next year on the second phase of environmental cleanup work at Caneel Bay in Virgin Islands National Park. The cleanup work follows testing the National Park Service conducted in early 2021.

The agency had wanted to conduct the tests years earlier. In 2014, the Park Service wanted a contractor to conduct more extensive soil sampling to detect possible environmental contamination on the resort grounds, but the resort’s operators at the time refused to allow the work to continue.

Talks at the end of 2020However, it cleared the way for environmental consultants to conduct investigations for buried waste and to visually inspect buildings for signs of asbestos. In February 2021 the The consultants gained access to the complex grounds.and the work was completed on February 25.

Those environmental tests detected a variety of waste, some dangerous to humans, on nearly eight acres of the grounds of the once-luxurious resort that was largely devastated by back-to-back hurricanes in 2017. Those tests found varying levels of arsenic, elevated levels of certain pesticides and a “mixture of benign organic materials, plastics, metals and CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act) hazardous substances, including the pesticide DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls.”

Among the areas inspected during environmental testing was an area used for decades as a landfill to contain “all types of waste from the complex, including sewage sludge.”

Subsequent testing detected asbestos-containing materials in construction materials at the site.

During the first phase of environmental cleanup, the Park Service removed asbestos-containing debris from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. On-site work associated with the removal of asbestos-containing debris began in January 2024 and concluded in April. Approximately 58 tonnes of asbestos-containing debris was removed from three areas near Little Hawksnest, Scott Beach and Turtle Point to address risks to human health and the environment.

Appropriate safety protocols were followed during the removal and all asbestos-containing debris was disposed of at a licensed landfill in Florida in May.

The second phase includes the removal of contaminated soil and sediment from the maintenance area and the associated drainage channel. During this phase of work, the Park Service anticipates removing approximately 288 bank cubic yards (BCY) of contaminated soil and 40 loose cubic yards of contaminated sediment. The term “bank cubic yards” refers to the volume of soil as it naturally exists in the ground undisturbed, while “loose cubic yards” refers to the volume of material after it has been excavated.

During the second phase of works, Honeymoon Beach and Caneel Beach on the north shore of the national park will remain open to visitors. Portions of existing parking lots may be closed to serve as storage areas for sealed, contained materials and equipment, and visitors may notice increased equipment noise. The Park Service is working with its contractors to minimize impacts to the visitor experience. To prevent the migration of contaminants through dust, erosion, etc., the contractor performing the removal work should take measures such as covering stockpiles of material at night and when not in active use.

In addition to the contractor performing the removal work, the Park Service has hired an independent “Project Monitor” to oversee the work. The project supervisor will conduct monitoring and supervision during the work and collect confirmatory samples to ensure removal objectives are achieved. All confirmatory samples collected by the project monitor will be analyzed by an independent laboratory that has National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) certifications for metal and pesticide analysis. All hazardous waste removed from the site will be disposed of at a permitted landfill in the continental United States.

Work on the site is expected to begin in 2025. This second phase of removal work is funded in part by the Department of the Interior’s Central Hazardous Materials Fund (CHF), with additional funds obtained from the Inflation Reduction Act (GONNA). The Park Service hopes to complete this next step to address risks to human health and the environment.

The cleanup work is being conducted in accordance with the Park Service’s delegated authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).

Meanwhile, the Park Service has started the process find a concessionaire to return the accommodation to the scenic environment.