CUC, House members tour wastewater facilities

CAPTION: 1. Members of the House PUTC observe the CUC Sand Filtration System at the ariport.

Members of the House Committee on Public Utilities, Transportation and Communications recently toured the 20 million-gallon Rain Catchment and Sand Filtration System at the Saipan International Airport upon the invitation of the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation.

The system is where rain that falls fast on the runways is diverted into a huge cement pond in the middle of the runways. The water is piped from the runway to a nearby tank where it is filtered through sand, according to a CUC statement.

Lawmakers climbed the ladder to the top of the sand unit and watched as the water was cleaned. From there, the water is treated a second time, with chlorine gas, then released to customers in San Jose, Chalan Kanoa and Susupe.

At the Sadog Tasi Wastewater Treatment Center, the House PUTC got to see how the community utility treats wastes, with a biological process, cleaning the water before it’s released to the ocean.

The facility can treat up to 4.8 million gallons of waste per day (MGD) but currently Saipan customers produce only 3 MGD from the west and central areas.

CUC operates a second Wastewater Facility at Agingan Point for southern Saipan customers. Both facilities have room for more waste as they were properly designed to handle future population needs.

However, the utility has officially asked Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio to use federal funds to build a third wastewater center in Kagman, an isolated village homestead, where ground water is perfect and must be protected from leaking septic tanks.

If homes are not connected to a wastewater system, they use septic tanks to hold sewage. Septic tanks must be cleaned on a regular basis, often at a price of $150 per month.

Some who cannot afford the cost allow the sewage to overflow or leak into the ground. The waste eventually seeps into the freshwater lens or rainwater wells that provide all of us water.

Protection

“I learned that septic tanks, if not cared for, can hurt our environment,” said Rep. Brigida DLG Ichihara, a PUTC member, during the tour.

These are simple truths. This is the area where we must protect our environment. If we can pull together as leaders and as a community, I mean really come together on behalf of our children, we must protect our water and natural resources and treat wastewater, not only on Saipan, but on Rota and Tinian too,” she added.

Primarily known for her interest in education, the representative said she learned a whole new area of operations through the utility tour.

“We learned that when Tinian customers were metered for water, they suddenly stopped wasting water and those people straightened up. They set an example for the rest of us, and they are saving money now,” she explained.

Vowing to make this knowledge to her voters, her family and other lawmakers, Ms. Ichihara said many problems relating to water and wastewater are caused by the people.

With increased education, help, example and tax incentives or loans, citizens can solve problems. The lawmakers said they will do their part to write, introduce and vote on positive, productive bills to help the people protect their natural resources and future utility services.

The lawmakers were briefed about the ongoing progress with the Water Education for Teachers (WET) program. WET and the Northern Marianas College are creating a Model Rainwater Project at Tanapag Elementary School.

Villagers may visit it to see how easy it can be to have 24-hour drinkable water. In addition, the WET program is now being duplicated from CUC to other Pacific Islands, like American Samoa, Palau, Majuro and Guam.