THE Division of Environmental Quality is set to issue a notice of violation to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. for the excessive presence of fecal coliform in the drinking water supply at lower Dandan, As Lito and As Perdido.
CUC Executive Director Bernard Villagomez yesterday informed DEQ about the “acute” violation of the CNMI Safe Drinking Water Regulations.
DEQ will issue a notice of violation to CUC, according to Jay Morisheta, an environmental technician with the division.
In an interview, CUC Water Division Manager Jess Castro said the utilities agency had injected additional chlorine at two treatment centers that serve the affected villages.
“We want to assure the public that we have addressed it right away,” Castro told Variety.
There has been no resident in any of these villages who reported symptoms related to contaminated water, he said.
According to Morisheta, this is the first time that CUC made the initiative of informing DEQ about the violation.
“Due to the acute violation, we need to issue the notice of violation as soon as possible. It’s good that CUC took steps to inform us,” Morisheta told Variety.
Contamination
The presence of fecal coliform and e. coli indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal waste.
These bacteria can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headache and other symptoms. They may also pose a health risk for infants, young children and people with severely compromised immune systems.
In a routine water inspection last week, CUC collected water samples and conducted laboratory tests on them.
CUC spokeswoman Pamela Mathis said in a statement that the laboratory results that came out on Saturday showed the presence of fecal coliform that exceeded the CNMI drinking water maximum contaminant level standards.
CUC is required by law to notify the public and DEQ of any violation, she said.
Mathis said additional chlorine was injected at the two treatment centers.
Chlorine kills harmful bacteria and is a common treatment method. It is fed into the water reservoir and pipelines 24 hours a day.
“CUC operates a total of 36 chlorine stations on Saipan and all are monitored for compliance with the CNMI Safe Drinking Water Regulations,” Mathis added.
Becky Snider, DEQ public information officer, said CUC had complied with the required public reporting and immediate action on addressing the violation.
However, DEQ will still issue a notice of violation to CUC.
Snider said non-compliance with the regulations will result in penalties and fines.
