"Following the installation and the use of the equipment such as water meters, barometric level loggers, turbidity meters, the water flows as well as the turbidity level of each stream leading to the ocean from the Talakhaya watershed were monitored on monthly basis. The monitoring of streams were compared with the areas with the Vetiver grass plantation in order to assess the effect of vegetation type on reducing the sedimentation load into the ocean and the coral reef near the shorelines. The analysis of the soil and water sampling from the areas of watershed re-vegetated with new planting techniques using Vetiver grass was also compared with areas of watershed without any Vetiver plantation in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the environmental impact of the Vetiver plantation on the watershed as well as the coral reef area fed by the stream water from the Talakhaya watershed area"--Page [1].

Professional Paper

Project no. 0301.12.034503

Northern Mariana Islands

Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)