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No-backup generators for most of 120 water wells
Majority of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s water wells on Saipan have no backup generators that would ensure continuous water service to customers in times of emergencies and disasters, according to executive director Alan W. Fletcher yesterday.
CUC, he said, has a total of 120 water wells, many of which do not have standby generators. He could not immediately say how many of these wells have backup generators.
CUC board chair David J. Sablan directed management yesterday to study the agency’s water and wastewater system to gauge CUC’s present capability in ensuring reliable service to customers even in times of most immediate need.
“Do we have backup generators in all our water wells? The answer is no. For some wells, yes we have. But with 120 wells, it’s pretty difficult [to provide them all with generators],” Fletcher told the board.
Fletcher said this deficiency is due to CUC’s lack of funds, specifically for infrastructure and capital improvement activities.
He said a plan to provide generators for all water wells is included in CUC’s master project plan but would require millions of dollars to realize.
For the agency to address its many problems, Sablan said that options should be seriously explored, including loan opportunities applicable to utilities. He said CUC cannot fund everything using collection from customers alone. He presented the idea of possibly borrowing capital for this project but emphasized the need to clean up CUC’s balance sheets in order to be deemed credit-worthy.
Fletcher, recognizing the work of outgoing CFO Charles Warren, who initiated the much-needed cleanup of CUC books, was receptive to Sablan’s idea and how this would address the long delayed capital improvement projects for CUC.
When asked how CUC responds to emergency water situations, given the lack of backup generators for water facilities, Fletcher said that when an emergency knocks out the power system, CUC strategically places backup generators in larger wells that have higher capacity for production and can supply major reservoir feeds.
Fletcher also disclosed that CUC has opted not to install backup generators in some small water wells because of their “very low production.”
