Water Quality

The American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (AS-EPA) has a responsibility to monitor, assess, and protect water quality for the Territory of American Samoa. U.S. federal and American Samoa local environmental legislation and regulations all apply in American Samoa.

American Samoa assesses water quality by comparing monitoring data to the narrative and numeric criteria in the American Samoa Water Quality Standards (ASWQS). The comparisons are used to determine whether the designated uses assigned to the water body. Where uses are impaired, the Territory identifies the pollutants causing water quality impairments, and the sources of those pollutants.

Main pollutants that cause water quality impairments in American Samoa include:

• Pathogen indicators
• Nutrients
• Siltation
• Turbidity

Main Sources of these pollutants in American Samoa include:

• On site Disposal System (OSDS) failures
• Piggeries
• Agriculture
• Urban runoff