The Park Service anticipates approximately 288 cubic yards of contaminated soil and 40 loose cubic yards of contaminated sediment will be removed.

“Bank cubic yards” refers to the volume of soil found in a naturally undisturbed state, while “loose cubic yards” refers to the volume of material after it has been excavated.

The National Park Service said all hazardous waste removed from the site will be disposed of in a permitted landfill in the continental United States.

In the second phase of the works, Honeymoon Beach and Caneel Beach will remain open to visitors.

Portions of existing parking lots may be closed to serve as staging areas for materials and equipment stored indoors, and visitors may notice increased equipment noise.

NPS is working with its contractors to minimize impacts to the visitor experience. To prevent the transport of contaminants through dust and erosion, the contractor carrying out the removal work must take steps such as covering material stocks overnight and when not in active use.

In addition to the contractor handling the removal, NPS appointed an independent “Project Monitor” to oversee the work.

NPS said the project monitor will conduct monitoring and oversight during work and collect approval samples to ensure removal goals are met.

All confirmation samples collected by the monitor will be analyzed by an independent laboratory with National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program certifications for metals and pesticide analysis.

This second phase of the cleanup is being funded in part by the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Central Hazardous Substances Fund, with additional funds coming from the Inflation Reduction Act.

In the first phase of the environmental cleanup at Caneel Bay, NPS removed asbestos-containing debris from 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Field work on the removal of asbestos-containing debris began in January 2024 and was completed in April 2024.

Approximately 58 tonnes of asbestos-containing debris were removed from three sites near Little Hawksnest, Scott Beach and Turtle Point to eliminate risks to human health and the environment.

Proper safety protocols were followed during removal and all asbestos-containing debris was disposed of in a permitted landfill in Florida in May 2024, NPS said.

The cleanup is being conducted in accordance with NPS-delegated authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. Plans for the removal efforts resulted from VI National Park’s 2021 Engineering Assessment/Cost Analysis Report and 2022 EE/CA Report Supplement documenting the release of hazardous materials at the site.