HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Guam Waterworks Authority had 94 water wells operational as of Wednesday afternoon, exceeding its goal of getting 90 wells online to meet production requirements to stabilize the water system and fill reservoirs.
“Immediately after Typhoon Mawar, only 60 of our 94 operational wells were producing water, leading to a sharp decline in the amount of water we could supply throughout the island,” GWA General Manager Miguel Bordallo said in a news release.
“We are proud to report that because of our hardworking GWA crews, along with assistance from Guam Power Authority and our contractors, we are currently operating with 94 of our wells producing 33 million gallons daily, which is approximately 97% of pre-storm production, and have returned 92% of GWA customers to service.”
GWA seems to have surpassed its goal since Tuesday. Bordallo told The Guam Daily Post Tuesday morning that 91 wells were online as of 5:30 a.m. that day. However, that wasn’t reflected on the utility’s webpage for Typhoon Mawar updates; on Tuesday afternoon it stated 89 wells were online.
On Wednesday afternoon, the webpage stated there were 91 wells operational, despite GWA’s release announcing 94 wells were operational.
Bordallo also said Tuesday that he expected the number of operating wells to vary, as GWA conducts pump or motor change-outs, and as other sites go offline due to generator or motor issues. Getting water service back to normal for everyone also requires building up reservoir levels to pre-typhoon conditions, he said.
GWA’s release Wednesday also acknowledged that restoration for customers may not be instant, despite reaching the 90-well goal.
“We have already begun work on the next step of filling our reservoirs, which is critical to both producing adequate pressure to push water to areas that are yet to be restored, and to providing consistent water service to areas still experiencing intermittent water service,” Bordallo stated in the release. “We would like to remind the public that water conservation is critical to filling the reservoirs. If you do have water service, use only what you need, not all you can get from our system.”
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero’s state of emergency due to the water supply shortage created by the typhoon is set to expire on June 18.
GWA-supplied water should only be used for authorized purposes related to public health, safety and welfare. Activities such as washing cars, windows, streets, sidewalks or buildings aren’t authorized.
GPA restoration
GPA reported about 66% of its customer base has had power restored as of Wednesday afternoon.
However, GPA did report an emergency outage Tuesday afternoon that affected multiple areas due to a fault in a transmission line.
“(Snohomish County Public Utility District) high-reach bucket trucks are anticipated to arrive this week via (Federal Emergency Management Agency)-chartered air transportation, allowing the major repairs to the main transmission lines to accelerate. Additional bucket trucks sourced by (the Department of Defense) and FEMA are expected to arrive over the next two weeks, allowing line crews to address repair and restoration in more areas islandwide,” GPA stated in a press release.
“We are proud to report that because of our hardworking GWA crews, along with assistance from Guam Power Authority and our contractors, we are currently operating with 94 of our wells producing 33 million gallons daily, which is approximately 97% of pre-storm production, and have returned 92% of GWA customers to service.”
A Guam Waterworks Authority water tank is seen Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Agana Heights.
Crews from the Snohomish County Public Utility District of Washington work on 115-kilovolt transmission lines Monday, June 12, 2023, along Route 16 in Barrigada Heights.
