CUC: Water violations caused by budget woes
Budget problems and the lack of operational improvements remain the reasons the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. committed various water quality violations last year.
In its annual consumer confidence report, CUC said it was not able to complete all water quality testing requirements in 2004 due to budgetary and staffing constraints, as well as shipping problems.
However, in some cases that tests were conducted, the results exceeded the maximum contaminant levels allowed by the Division of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency.
According to CUC, its violations for 2004 included the presence of E. coli bacteria or fecal coliforms in the Saipan water system.
Acute violations were recorded in January in San Vicente; February and March in Obyan; June in Sadog Tasi, As Teo, and Puerto Rico; and October in Lower Base and As Gonno.
“Fecal coliforms or E. coli are generally not harmful themselves, but their presence in drinking water is serious because they usually are associated with sewage and animal waste,” CUC said. “The presence of these bacteria in drinking water system is generally a result of a problem with water treatment or the pipes that distribute the water, and indicates that the water may be contaminated with organisms that cause disease.”
To address the problem, CUC increased chlorine treatment at the affected villages and implemented a standard operating procedure for operators.
As a precautionary measure, water consumers were also urged to boil or treat their water with bleach before using.
CUC further reported violations for failing to monitor drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not drinking water meets health standards, CUC noted.
In 2004, the utility failed to monitor the water for the presence of asbestos, synthetic organic chemicals, volatile organic chemicals, nitrate, and lead and copper, according to the EPA-set compliance calendar.
