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EPA fines Guam Waterworks Authority $2,000 for lack of standby generators

Release Date: 9/1/2005
Contact Information: Lisa Fasano, 415-947-4307

     HONOLULU -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today fined the Guam Waterworks Authority $2,000 for not meeting the requirements of an order to improve the utility's drinking water and wastewater systems.

     A June 2003 stipulated order required the utility to ensure working, appropriately sized, standby generators are available for all wastewater pump stations, treatment plants, and wells that are critical to the three public water systems.

     "The Guam Waterworks Authority needs to increase its efforts to comply with the order to provide a dependable, clean source of drinking water and effective wastewater treatment for the island," said Alexis Strauss, the EPA's director for water programs in the Pacific Southwest region. "This latest fine is part of EPA's continued oversight of GWA's work to ensure compliance and deliver improved public health protection."

     The EPA required GWA to have at least 31 generators be installed by July 29, 2005.  At that time, GWA certified 34 critical sites as protected with backup power.  In August 2005, Guam EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspected the generators and found four facilities had generators that were defective and not working. The EPA is assessing $500 for each violation for a total of $2,000.

     The Guam EPA also found several generators either lacking coolant or fuel or both.  Because generators are not workable without coolant and fuel, the EPA will consider such deficiencies to be violations during future inspections.
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