Environmental testing is getting under way on the grounds of the Caneel Bay Resort at Virgin Islands National Park/Carolyn Sugg via Flickr

Nearly eight acres on the grounds of the Caneel Bay Resort in Virgin Islands National Park are being tested for environmental contaminants, a process that could determine the battered resort's fate.

A release Thursday from the National Park Service said the environmental site assessments "will identify the nature and extent of possible environmental contamination on the property, an important next step in determining the future of the resort."

“The continuation of environmental site assessments at Caneel Bay Resort is critical to the future health and vitality of St. John and helps advance the National Park Service’s commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Virgin Islands National Park Superintendent Nigel Fields. “The data gathered during this assessment will help us make science-based decisions about cleanup and redevelopment of the resort.” 

What that analysis discovers, and how expensive it might turn out to be to address, could determine whether CBIA, LLC, which has operated Caneel Bay since 2004, is able to work out a concessions lease with the National Park Service once the existing Retained Use Estate expires in September 2023.

The Retained Use Estate agreement, or RUE, was dictated by the late Laurance S. Rockefeller back in 1983. It specifically called for the resort to be turned over to the federal government in September 2023. Gary Engle, the principle behind CBIA, has tried for years to circumvent Rockefeller's intent.

In 2010 Congress passed a law pertaining to the long-term operational fate of Caneel Bay. It specified that once the RUE expires, CBIA "shall transfer, without consideration, ownership of improvements on the retained use estate to the National Park Service" unless a lease agreement is finalized.

This past December the Interior Department announced it had reached an agreement with Engle to allow for the environmental testing to begin. Back in 2014 he had refused to allow Park Service contractors to begin that work, according to internal NPS documents Traveler obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The tony resort, where rooms went for $600 and more per night, for all practical purposes hasn't been operational since back-to-back hurricanes ravaged it in September 2017.

According to Thursday's release from the Park Service, "sampling and analysis for an Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis, in alignment with Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, will take place over the next several weeks, followed by laboratory analysis and evaluation of potential risks to human health and the environment."

Areas to be tested include:

• Area 1: Approximately 1.7 acres in the vicinity of wastewater treatment plant structures, located on the southeastern side of the resort; 
• Area 2: Approximately 5.4 acres that encompass the engineering, maintenance, landscaping and fuel buildings and facilities, located to the southwest of the wastewater treatment plant; and 
• Area 3: An approximately 0.5-acre debris landfill located immediately east of Honeymoon Beach. 

Technicians will sample the areas for the presence of contaminants ranging from pesticides and PCBs to petrochemicals. They will also collect preliminary data about the possible presence of lead-based paint and asbestos and determine if further analysis is needed, the release said.  

Data collected during this assessment will be used to inform potential response actions and evaluate appropriate next steps. Removal actions will only be required if unacceptable contamination or associated risks are identified. The EE/CA report will compare potential approaches for cleanup, remediation or other recommend actions, and the public will have opportunities to comment on these possible approaches.   

Public involvement is at the core of this work, the Park Service release said.

"In the coming months, the public will be invited to comment on the EE/CA report and supporting documents. During the comment period, the NPS will host a public meeting to help convey the findings and proposed actions," the release explained. "The NPS will review and consider public comments and select the best option for cleanup, remediation or other recommended actions. Additional information, including reports and associated documents about the Caneel Bay environmental site assessment as well as the Administrative Record for the project, is available at this site.