All News Releases By Date

EPA fines Guam Waterworks Authority $4,000 for failing to comply with order

Release Date: 8/4/2005
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711

HONOLULU -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today fined the Guam Waterworks Authority $4,000 for not meeting the requirements of an order to improve the utility's drinking water and wastewater systems.

GWA failed to ensure adequate disinfection of drinking water, and to complete design and construction of the Chaot wastewater pump station and sewer collection and conveyance system. Fines for the Chaot violations will continue to accrue until the requirements are met.

"The Guam Waterworks Authority must focus on providing a dependable and clean source of drinking water, and an effective wastewater treatment system for Guam," said Alexis Strauss, the EPA's director for water programs in the Pacific Southwest region. "Required drinking water treatment, and the Chaot design and construction must be completed. We will continue oversight of GWA's work to ensure compliance with all requirements of the order, resulting in improved public health protection."

The June 2003 stipulated order required GWA to develop an interim disinfection program to ensure water being provided to the public is adequately disinfected by chlorination. As of June 2005, GWA needed to ensure that the entire water system maintains a chlorine residual of at least 0.2 parts per million. The GWA certified that its systems met the requirements, however in July 2005, the Guam EPA found no chlorine residual -- a reading of 0.0 parts per million of chlorine -- at a sampling location in Dededo.

GWA was also ordered to complete an engineering assessment of the Chaot sewer collection system, develop a corrective action plan, and provide an implementation schedule for the action plan. The EPA approved GWA's engineering assessment and action plan schedule that set an August 1, 2005 deadline for completion of design and construction work. GWA failed to meet its deadline and the penalty will continue to accrue from Aug. 2 at $1,000 per day until GWA completes the Chaot design and construction work.
# # #