Water Resources Research Act Program

Principal Investigators: Joseph Eugene, Francisca Obispo

Abstract: Water is essential and part of our daily life. The steep, tropical watersheds of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia can provide ample water for distribution and usage by everyone, as long as upstream forests are properly managed. Water shortages are often caused by deforestation and water quality is often compromised by harmful farming techniques. Example of harmful or unsafe farming techniques is raising livestock especially pigs near the river bank, washing the pig waste into the rivers and causing bacteria or polluting the waters around Pohnpei. Water quality is one of the main issues around the island and its due of rapid growth of population, people build their houses close to the rivers and do their farming right on the river banks. Over the years, Conservation Society of Pohnpei (CSP) has incorporated projects that can help with water quality issues in the communities. CSP has started with community outreach awareness program to help the communities to understand what has been happening to our rivers. After the outreaches CSP has started a water quality project by removing and relocating pig pens from the rivers in Mand Madolenihmw and Nanpil River in Nett. With the help of Integrated Water Resource Management program in 2011, CSP and partners were able to conduct a source of pollution survey in Nett watershed as a pilot site. Result of this survey shows the sources of pollution that are impacting the rivers in Nett. The goal of this project is to aid communities adjacent to the Watershed Forest Reserve (WFR) areas to implement their Conservation Action Plan (CAP), develop adaptive management plans, improve Watershed management through public and private partnerships, develop sustainable alternative sources of income and finally to promote conservation law enforcement. This project would contribute to the enhanced integrated management and sustainability of Pohnpeis watershed steering committee network. In addition, this project would also improve the practice of managing the watershed to improve our waters and conservation throughout Micronesia. The objectives of the project are: 1) to develop community-based sustainable watershed management plan using The Nature Conservancys (TNC) Conservation Action Plan (CAP) tools, 2) Rehabilitate, monitor, enforce and protect watershed sites through existing community-based Forest Ranger program, and 3)Implement biophysical monitoring and keep records for management purposes.