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EPA fines Guam Waterworks Authority $32,000 for failure to meet federal court order requirements

Release Date: 12/7/2005
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, [email protected]

HONOLULU -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today fined the Guam Waterworks Authority $32,000 for failing to fully comply with a 2003 stipulated court order to develop a draft master plan.

"We are very concerned with GWA's continuing inability to comply with the stipulated order," said Alexis Strauss, the EPA's director for water programs in the Pacific Southwest region. "It is vital that the key management, technical and engineering staffing shortfalls be remedied if we are to achieve our shared goal of providing reliable drinking water and wastewater service to Guam residents."

GWA has provided a Work-in-Progress Report instead of a fully developed draft master plan document. GWA's master plan will be used by the utility as a road map for making immediate and long term infrastructure improvements.

The stipulated court order also required operation and maintenance parts inventories and manuals to ensure GWA has the necessary tools to maintain its water and wastewater systems. GWA failed to adequately demonstrate the development and maintenance of a 60-day operation and maintenance inventory for its wastewater and public water systems that includes any spare parts that may be needed.

The utility also failed to develop a set of comprehensive Operations and Maintenance manuals for its wastewater and public water systems. Although GWA had prepared a set of manuals, a review by Guam EPA inspectors revealed that the manuals were incomplete because they did not include equipment currently in use.

Guam's drinking water system is currently undergoing repairs and improvements to provide a more reliable supply of water to Guam residents. The island's wastewater treatment system is also being upgraded to ensure proper disposal of treated wastewater and to prevent any spills and overflows.

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