DEQ asks Legislature’s help on water monitoring

The Division of Environmental Quality is planning to seek assistance from the Legislature to acquire a laboratory equipment that will cut the huge cost of chemical monitoring of water systems in the CNMI.

DEQ Director Ike Cabrera said the lack of necessary facility in Saipan prevents the agency from conducting the water analysis on 84 organic and 15 inorganic chemicals. DEQ would have to send its samples to a laboratory in California since its laboratory cannot carry out the analysis on pesticide and other industrial chemicals.

Based on preliminary assessment, a brand new equipment will cost $100,000. But DEQ is looking at acquiring the second hand equipment for $50,000 from Guam.

Establishments would have to pay a minimum of $10,000 for each wellhead. Monitoring would be conducted for four consecutive quarters on these organic chemicals with each set of samples to cost approximately $2,700. The scheduled analysis would cover the three-year period from 1999-2001.

Businesses have expressed opposition against the planned chemical monitoring of all public water systems because of the expense it entails especially at this time when profits are down due to the economic slowdown.

The water analysis is part of DEQ’s Safe Water Drinking Program which was established as part of the federal requirement. In 1991 and 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promulgated regulations that require most water systems to monitor on a regular basis the presence of a large number of chemicals.

EPA has given DEQ a leeway for three years in implementing the program partly due to lack of manpower and technical expertise in carrying out very complex regulations.

Most businessmen who attended the forum conducted by DEQ on Jan. 14, 1999 said the government should help lower the cost of the testings. While many of them are not against the monitoring per se, they said CNMI officials should understand that many businesses could barely survive the recession that has hit the island.

Mr. Cabrera said emphasized the need to perform the chemical monitoring on water systems because DEQ has already found harmful chemicals in some parts of the island. For example, DEQ has already discovered the presence of TCD chemicals in a well in Capitol Hill in Saipan where there are 25 Formerly Used Defense Sites.

“We are doing this because of our concern on the people’s health. We do understand that the economy is down right now but we have to make sure that the people are using safe water,” said Mr. Cabrera.