By Bryan Manabat
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
COMMONWEALTH Utilities Corporation crews are uncovering previously undocumented pipes, private-property service lines, and new leaks as they push toward full water restoration, utility coordinator Joel Hoepner said during Friday’s press briefing, noting that the discoveries are reshaping CUC’s understanding of Saipan’s aging water network.
“We always find new lines that we were unaware of that were running through private property but servicing customers on the other side,” Hoepner said. “We get them documented, and hopefully we can work to get their service lines into a right-of-way in the future where they’re supposed to be.”
The findings come as CUC continues an islandwide leak-detection sweep, with nine to 12 wastewater division employees reassigned to water operations. The team has already canvassed As Matuis and San Roque, checking meters for leaks and abnormal flow, and is now moving south through Fina Sisu.
Hoepner said the additional manpower has been critical as new leaks continue to emerge weeks after the storm.
“The majority of our crews are fixing leaks and have been since the start of this,” he said. “Leaks continue to surface and show themselves, so we continue to fix them.”
Despite the setbacks, CUC estimates that about 90% of Saipan now has 24-hour water service, with only a few areas still unable to maintain tank levels long enough for full restoration.
The north remains the largest remaining gap, though Hoepner said recent repairs have improved conditions in As Matuis, San Roque, and Tanapag.
“We’re hoping in the next few days we can show that north end of the service area to be green,” he said.
In Kannat Tabla, CUC has been fine-tuning temporary pumps to stabilize pressure, while a small number of homes in Chalan Kiya are being reconnected after storm runoff destroyed a section of waterline.
The final major bottleneck is the Papago–San Vicente–Dandan corridor, where CUC is working to increase output from the Kagman well field. Additional generators are being deployed to boost production.
Hoepner said the return of wells in Isley Field and Obyan to grid power has strengthened the system significantly, allowing CUC to bring additional wells online and hold tank levels steady.
“Things are looking better every day,” he said.
Residents are encouraged to report leaks to the CUC hotline.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
