Navy restores, reopens Tinian’s Chiget Beach for public use

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Joint Region Marianas, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands leadership gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony at Chiget Beach on Tinian last Dec. 22.
The event commemorated the official reopening of Chiget Beach for public use. The beach and its surrounding areas were part of a battleground during World War II and subsequently became the Tinian Mortar Range, which was used as a military training facility until 1994. Access to the beach was restricted due to the potential hazard for unexploded ordnance.

Site surveys and studies were conducted in 2017 to determine if any environmental or munition hazards were present in the Chiget beach area, access path from the main road, and within the shallow water embayment. No environmental hazards were detected during these extensive surveys and the only munitions debris discovered were from small arms. A total of 350 lbs of metallic debris was removed from the area. Following the site surveys and cleanup efforts, Chiget Beach was deemed safe for public recreational use…. (Excerpts from Saipantribune.com)