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2006 CIP money reserved mostly for water projects
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Posted on Apr 27 2005
The government wants to use its capital improvement project funding for fiscal year 2006 mainly for water projects, Garapan revitalization, and the closure of the Puerto Rico dump.
In a budget proposal, the Babauta administration said that, of the expected $13-million CIP money, $6 million would be used for water projects, $2 million for Garapan beautification, and $2 million for the dumpsite closure.
For Rota, the administration wants to give $1.5 million for the construction of a landfill. The same amount, $1.5 million, would go to the Tinian wastewater project.
The administration had also favored the use of CIP money primarily for water and sewer projects in FY 2005.
The U.S. Department of the Interior had approved the use of some $7 million for water-related projects on Saipan. The remaining funds would be used for construction of sewer facilities on Rota and Tinian, totaling $1.6 million each. The Puerto Rico dumpsite closure also received $2.7 million under FY 2005.
The DOI approved the following water projects for current spending: water distribution system ($298,000), improvements at springs ($345,000), additional pipeline ($201,500), water conservation and leak detection (960,000), surface water catchments ($2.9 million), optimization of existing wells ($1.2 million), and a test drilling program ($575,000).
This is on top of $1 million for water system improvements as authorized by the FY 2005 congressional budget.
The water projects are jointly handled by the CNMI Water Task Force and the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.
The task force, which promises to provide 24-hour water supply on Saipan by end of the year, has began drilling a new well on Mt. Tapochao, which would boost the water supply in the commercial district of Garapan.
The task force recently said that 12 new wells have already been dug.
Based on the plan, 100 new wells must be developed to ensure a more stable water supply on the island. Once these become operational, some existing low-producing wells would be shut down.
There are 144 existing wells on Saipan, but only 125 of these are considered operational.
