CUC says outages adversely affecting water quality

The constant power outages is increasing the chance contaminants will be found in the water produced by the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., officials from the CUC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said.

The pipes that pump the water are designed to be pressure-filled, but with the constant outages, the pipes are not fully pressured, allowing contaminated ground water to enter and fill the pipes, said Derek Chambers, an EPA advisor to the Division of Environmental Quality who works within the Safe Drinking Water branch.

“It’s been really hard,” he said. “The groundwater is potentially contaminated.”

Groundwater can have a host of contaminants collected from discharge, runoff or residue of nearby factories, landfills, soil, and sewage and septic tanks, among other things.

When the water pumps go off, turbidity—the measure of cloudiness in water used to indicate water quality and filtration effectiveness—can increase, said Bruce Megarr, CUC deputy director for the Water and Sewer Division.

“[Turbidity] can stir up sediments and can allow bacteria to grow,” he said. “We don’t like to see pumps go off and on.”

Turbidity, which often comes from soil runoff, is associated with higher levels of disease-causing microorganisms like parasites, viruses and some bacteria. The contaminants can cause symptoms of nausea, cramps, diarrhea and headaches, according to the EPA.

Megarr said it is important to let the public know when the fluctuation in pressure is affecting water quality. Last week, a notice was released advising the public to boil their water because of contaminants.

To combat the problem, Chambers said, CUC increases chlorination rate of the water. Chlorinating the water kills the microorganisms, but too much chlorine can also be detrimental to the public’s health.

“Chlorine is one of the best things to happen to public water systems,” Chambers said.

But, he added, too much can also be detrimental to health.

Studies have shown that there is a link between cancer and water with too much chlorine over a long period of time.

Megarr said proper water pressurization is a concern for CUC, and they are addressing the issue in a number of ways.

First, he said, after CUC began metering the amount of water consumers used rather than using a flat rate, consumption dropped.

Also, a leak detection team is dispatched to areas with two to three hours of pressurized water, Megarr said.

“[The teams] have been very successful in Susupe and Chalan Kanoa, and San Antonio,” he added.

CUC is also working to make sure there is plenty of available chlorine, Megarr said. They recently renewed their contract with the chlorine provider and have ordered 36 additional chlorine cylinders. Chlorine injectors with repair kits have also been ordered to “ensure chlorine delivery to water systems is as seamless as possible,” he added.

Like everyone else, the CUC Water Division is coping as best it can with the power problem.

“Like every other business on the island, we have difficulties planning for the needs of our customers without adequate power,” he said.