Administration looking into reverse-osmosis water system

With water issues becoming worse on Saipan according to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., the two top officials of the Commonwealth said they believe in starting discussions for having a reverse-osmosis water system on the island.

Lt. Gov. Victor Hocog, who sat on the second day of CUC board’s meeting last Friday, told Saipan Tribune that he wanted to “see an update on our water supply” and “when can we realize to have 24-hour water and high-quality water.”

“They invited me to come and hear them out as to what they have forthcoming before the governor and I guess they will be discussing that in the executive session,” Hocog said.

Hocog was with the board prior to the start of the meeting and before the first day of their meeting last Thursday.

“My concern here is if CUC is going to recommend building additional pumps,” Hocog said, “Even if they put up 20 more, I believe, if its only one source, there’s no way we’re going to resolve this.”

When asked if he supports the idea of having a reverse-osmosis water system, Hocog replied, “That’s why I am here, to see what they have.”

“Building 20 more tanks or pumps will not help because we only have one aquifer. So what is the alternative?” he added.

Reverse osmosis is a water purification technology, which could desalinate water among other purification process. It was the type of production used by the U.S. Marine Corps who helped Saipan to have clean drinking water with the lagoon as their source shortly after Typhoon Soudelor.

In a separate interview, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said that he supports building an RO system.

“Definitely, we have to start somewhere, somehow,” he told Saipan Tribune.

“We have goals to make water drinkable, potable. One of our goals is to start with one zone or grid so that our people can start having reverse osmosis, they can start drinking,” he added.

Torres said he consulted with the board the current water situation on island.

“But before we [have reverse osmosis], I wanted to know, I asked the board to look into how much or what percentage is our water leakage because we’re going to have, I’m going to invest RO system and our percentage of our leakage is high, we’re not helping the solution,” Torres said.
“Couple of months ago, we asked them to give a feasibility of the state of all the utility and water situation. We had a 19-page power report and on the water, I knew that more work needs to be done,” he added.

At CUC’s recent board meetings, it was discussed that CUC has only 70 percent of the water it produces accounted for due to leaks, theft, and other issues.

$44 million

Saipan Tribune learned that starting a reverse osmosis water system will cost no less than $44 million in capital alone.

Asked where CUC or the government will get the funding for such an expensive project, Torres said it is yet to be determined and alluded to a plan where the RO will be available to certain areas first.

“A lot of times it’s about funding, but we don’t know what we have unless we request what it costs. That’s why instead of doing an island-wide, one time [project] which will probably cost a hundred million [dollars], if we go by sections and take care of our issues, one village or one zone then we can address that in a better way,” Torres said.

Hocog echoed the sentiment, saying, “We need to stop the bleeding somewhere. Whether we will work on zoning areas to provide at least…not only 24-hour water but high-quality water.”

Hocog said that CUC will spend more on following their 20-year water master plan than starting an RO system.

“Roughly CUC will spend $280 million in addressing this problem according to the master plan. But will it address the Clean Water Act? Will it address 24-hour water?” Hocog said.

“Even if we have to spend $150 million to do a development project, from example, from As Matuis all the way down to probably San Antonio, and if they have that idea for reverse osmosis, then we need to find out what the cost of the production is and what would be the rate increase for the consumers,” he added.

Hocog said that If CUC “have reverse osmosis, not only is it safe, its high quality, and its 24-hour water.”

“If that’s the route, then CUC will have to sit down and address the funding level, where, how,” Hocog said, “Once that is said and done, CUC can recover those.”