The previous longest stretch was 13 months, he said, adding that every month, CUC collects and tests the water at more than 80 different locations on Saipan and no more than 5 percent of those samples are allowed to contain total coliform.
He said one reason CUC has been in compliance with Division of Environmental Quality and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations for bacteria is that the pumps and motors at the wells and chlorine equipment are receiving stable, reliable electricity.
He said the installation of 114 dedicated sample taps throughout the CUC Saipan water system also helped minimize bacterial contamination from the environment.
However, the most important factor for keeping CUC water free of bacteria and safe for its customers is the dedication and hard work of its water operators, he said.
CUC water quality laboratory manager Heidi Yelin said the public water systems on Saipan, Tinian and Rota have met the maximum contaminant goal of zero percent total coliform in August.
She said they collected 77 samples on Saipan during the August monitoring period and these were tested for total coliform or E. coli.
CUC Tinian water staff, she said, collected five routine samples on Aug. 25.
“None of the samples collected on Tinian during August 2010 contained total coliform,” she told Division of Environment Quality Director Frank Rabauliman in her report.
The Tinian public water system also complied with the total coliform rule during the monitoring period in August, she added.
On Rota, she said none of the valid samples tested contained total coliform and the island’s public water system complied with the total coliform rule during the monitoring period.
Malae said twice a day, each and every day, the chlorination team checks each of the 33 Saipan treatment stations to ensure that the equipment is operating correctly with the right amount of chlorine added to the water.
The chlorine crew, including certified water operators Bernard Keremius, Ray Muna and Diony Camacho, ensures that there is proper treatment at the CUC sample taps and that there are no problems with the system, Malae said.
“Any equipment failures or leaks discovered are repaired as soon as possible by the repair team headed by Melvin Tudela,” he added.
He said the CUC water system continues to improve, thanks to a group of committed and knowledgeable water operators and engineers.
“They work hard to design, install, fix, and treat the water system in order to bring safe water to all CUC customers,” he added.
Malae said they still face challenges.
They have to reduce non-revenue water so that 100 percent of customers receive 24/7 running water, and improve the secondary quality of the water so that it is no longer brackish, he added.
