Environmental Contamination Investigation at Caneel Bay Resort
Caneel Bay at sunset.
NPS photo
In the mid-1950s, Laurance Rockefeller established Caneel Bay Resort as an early model of ecotourist luxury accommodations to highlight the natural beauty of St. John with low-impact facilities. Within the boundaries of the resort are culturally significant ruins and archaeological sites, which span time from the archaic period through European colonialism and post-colonial emancipation. Several building and landscapes within the resort reference these eras.
Caneel Bay Resort has long been a large vacation resort with approximately 100 buildings and structures used for lodging, food services, recreation, docks, marinas, and maintenance services located on the northwestern shore of the island of St. John. This property consists of approximately 150 acres and is located approximately 1 mile northeast of the town of Cruz Bay.
Over the years, the resort used petroleum products in vehicles and other chemicals for cleaning and maintenance, as well as pesticides, as part of general operations of the resort. In addition, the resort has a wastewater treatment plant, and for a period of time, the treatment sludge was reportedly disposed of in an on-site landfill southwest of the resort buildings. As a result, there is now a need to investigate and address environmental concerns at three areas within the Caneel Bay Resort. Together, these three areas comprise approximately 8 acres.
NPS is conducting this work pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601, et seq. and its implementing regulations under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 C.F.R. Part 300. The NPS values and encourages public participation and invites members of the public to submit comments on the Engineering Evaluation/ Cost Analysis (EE/CA) report during the public comment period.
Between February 11 and February 25, 2021, the NPS conducted on-site sampling as part of an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) at the Caneel Bay Resort. NPS used the data collected during the field sampling to characterize the nature and extent of possible contamination at the site and evaluate potential risks to human health and the environment resulting from such contamination. Based on this data, NPS has developed and evaluated removal action alternatives. These alternatives, including NPS’s recommended alternative, are described in detail in the EE/CA Report.
