USGS program bids CNMI adieu

The U.S. Geological Survey would be leaving the islands at the end of this month due to lack of funding, according to outgoing hydrologist Robert Carruth.

Carruth, speaking during the weekly Saipan Rotary Club meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan Tuesday, said since the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., its partner for the last 15 years, could not match the $167,000 funding requirement for its continuous operation, the office has no choice but to temporarily shut down starting Dec. 31.

Carruth is leaving the CNMI on Dec. 23 and would heading back to the state of Arizona where he would work for a project at the University of Arizona.

“For the time being, the office has to close,” Carruth said, adding that his office would closely watch the next administration to see whether there would be funding for their return.

The hydrologist said the CNMI could still use the service of USGS offices operating in Pacific neighbors such as Palau and Federal States of Micronesia. He clarified, though, that the USGS in the CNMI could still be accessed until Dec. 31.

Carruth set foot on the island in 1995 but the USGS has been serving the CNMI since 1989. He said he believes that ever since the program started on the island it has done some remarkable things for the community, such as completion of well fields in Obyan and Kagman and the development of working samples of water resources that serves as a guide for future projects.

One thing, he said, he would miss about the CNMI is its beauty and the island lifestyle. He said he hopes to come back soon.

In August this year, it was reported that outgoing Lt. Gov. and CNMI Water Task Force chair Diego T. Benavente sent a letter to USGS Hawaii office saying that the local government failed to secure funding for the program.

The letter said it was regretfully informing the office that the CNMI is unable to secure the funding necessary to sustain USGS operations in the CNMI for the rest of the calendar year, but Benavente said the Water Task Force was in contact with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Insular Affairs for funding opportunities for the USGS program.

The USGS program in the CNMI requires a 50-50 matching fund. The CNMI provides some $170,000 a year to the program.