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EPA fines Guam Waterworks Authority $11,000 for failure to comply with stipulated order

Release Date: 3/9/2004
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, (808) 541-2711

HONOLULU -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined the Guam Waterworks Authority $11,000 for not completing requirements under a stipulated order to improve three of the utilities' public water systems.

The GWA was required by a June 2003 order to develop an interim disinfection program for the water systems. GWA submitted a draft plan that needed further revisions to meet the requirements of the original order and was given until late February 2004 to submit a revised plan.

"Although GWA is making progress on many areas of the order, they must have a comprehensive, well-conceived plan in place to protect public health in this interim period," said Alexis Strauss, the EPA's director for water programs in the Pacific Southwest region. "Of course, careful implementation of the plan is also crucial and GWA is taking steps to develop the plan, but it just hasn't come together fast enough to comply with the requirements of the order."

Specifically, GWA is required to:

-optimize the disinfection of the high risk wells
-maintain a minimum specified amount of chlorine residual at all locations in the distribution system;
-clearly describe GWA assessments of distribution system chlorine residual levels;
-clearly describe chlorination settings, and how they were selected; and
-have GWA's Chief Engineer or contracted engineering services review and approve all work.

GWA has yet to submit a complete document to describe all of the elements of the interim disinfection program, which fully responds to the order's requirements.
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