HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Guam Power Authority is targeting 95% recovery of electricity services by June 26, with full recovery anticipated to happen shortly after.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero had estimated near the end of May that it would take three to four weeks to get power and water services back up for most residents in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar.
GPA provided its recovery target after The Guam Daily Post asked what it thought about the governor’s estimate.
So far, power has been restored to about 43% of GPA customers, according to Wednesday’s utility update.
The power utility’s key objectives include energizing the Navy Radio Barrigada Substation, as well as continuing working on urgent and essential needs islandwide. But GPA also is well into phase two of its recovery process, which involves restoring as many customers as possible per feeder where there is minimal storm damage.A 12-member crew from the Snohomish County Public Utility District in Washington state will assist with recovery efforts, according to Wednesday’s GPA update.
“This team will concentrate on the transmission system restoration in order to bring reliability back to pre-typhoon conditions,” the update stated.
Water service
The Guam Waterworks Authority said about 73% of operable wells are on line and producing water.
The utility continues to implement multiple strategies to bring up as many wells on line as quickly as possible, including GPA energizing areas where deep wells are located, repairing existing generators, requesting generators from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for wells where power repairs can’t be made, and replacing pumps and motors in 21 wells.
A state of emergency was declared due to the water shortage caused by Typhoon Mawar. Leon Guerrero ordered that GWA-supplied water should be used only for authorized purposes related to public health, safety and welfare. Activities such as washing cars, windows, streets, sidewalks or buildings aren’t authorized.
The order will expire June 18 unless amended or rescinded.
The boil water notice remains in effect for GWA-supplied water. GWA General Manager Miguel Bordallo said it will stay in place until system pressures return to normal and confirmation sampling indicates it’s safe to lift the notice. The confirmation sampling is coordinated with the Guam Environmental Protection Agency, which will need to concur before the notice is lifted, according to Bordallo.
Bacterial contamination can occur when increased runoff enters the drinking water source; if there is a loss of line pressure to less than 5 psi; a pipe break lasts more than 12 hours; or there is a failure in the water treatment process.
It doesn’t appear there is contamination in the water supply. Bordallo said GWA is testing its water distribution system daily at regular GEPA-designated sampling points.
“As restored areas increase, the number of sample points increase. It takes us a complete day to run the analyses, and the last round of results received yesterday indicate all clear,” Bordallo said Wednesday.
He added that if any results come back positive for contaminants, GWA and GEPA will issue a mandatory boil water notice.
“So far, all samples have been clear, therefore the advisory in place is ‘precautionary’ only due to prolonged low system pressures,” Bordallo said.
A Guam Waterworks Authority crew works to replace a main water valve on Monday, June 5, 2023, in Maite.
