SGMA meets with DEQ on water quality

Forty representatives from all 30 members of the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association (SGMA) met with Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) officials recently to review new water well testing requirements.

Meanwhile, SGMA executive director Richard A. Pierce participated with other private sector representatives in a group meeting Friday morning with environmental experts and officials of the South Pacific Regional Environment Program.

SGMA agreed to cooperate fully with DEQ’s water well testing plan, saying there is a tremendous need to ensure that safe water is available for factory employees and the community.

However, the SGMA joined the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands in objecting to high, unexpected fees associated with the quarterly tests, costs they feel should be the government’s responsibility, especially considering its inability to meet the islands’ water needs. The organization also questioned DEQ’s plan to require individual well testing as opposed to area composite sampling.

The resident managers of Saipan’s factories expressed their frustrations regarding the government requirements imposed on their companies for two reasons: first, they had previously been assured there would be an adequate water supply, and secondly, the concern over water quality for industrial and personal use.

Because the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation (CUC) could not provide an ample supply of water, each company has had to install private wells. Now they are being told to assume costs associated with the testing of the water for their own use. Also, factory managers believe that the wells, once in use, should become the property of the CUC and properly maintained by the public utility.

SGMA agreed to cooperate with DEQ during this phase of new testing and sampling requirements. While easily treated in most instances, the group listed a number of possible sources that could pose problems for Saipan’s groundwater supplies: World War II debris, old septic tanks, inadequate CUC sewer line capacity resulting in overflow, and improperly monitored and maintained water lenses. The group discussed the need to immediately address any problems with appropriate mitigation efforts.

SGMA addresses environmental concerns in their SGMA Code of Conduct where the association monitors each factory’s performance in compliance with local and federal laws on chemical handling for their light industrial application and water supply standards for employees.

Ignacio V. Cabrera, director of DEQ, sought and received SGMA’s agreement to cooperate in reviewing company files on inbound deliveries of standard apparel manufacturing products used in laundering and cleaning solutions.

“In return, we asked DEQ to provide us with their sampling and testing results for our work within the framework of our Code of Conduct and our Compliance Committee’s monitoring,” said Mr. Pierce. “If any problems are found, we want to be told immediately so that we can address them right away and ensure the safety of water for factory employees. We can only do that if the government shares the information about the test results with us.”