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Developmental moratorium possible for Tumon/Tamuning
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by John Davis, KUAM News
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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From new roads to new developments, there's much new work springing up in Tumon and Tamuning. And it's forcing the Guam Waterworks Authority's current sewer system to its limits. Consolidated Commission on Utilities chairman Simon Sanchez says GWA and the CCU are now contemplating whether a moratorium on development in the two villages is needed.
Said Sanchez, "The Commission is going to hear a report from GWA management on this issue and whether or not a moratorium needs to be declared on future development due to the wastewater limitations." With recent speculation of our population increasing due to the upcoming military buildup, new development has spawned, tapping into GWA's current sewage system, but as new development taps into the utility agency's old system, residents in central Guam from Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Barrigada and Tamuning will also feel the pain.
The chairman continued, "All of which send their wastewater through Marine Corps Drive's main wastewater line, we're finding that we have no more capacity in the main sewer line between Bank Pacific in Tamuning and the Hagatna Treatment Plant."
As most residents know, GWA has had a long history of sewage overflows in that particular area, from manholes overflowing, and spillage seeping into Guam's waters. So while developers and residents await the outcome of a system development charge - expected to be reviewed by the Public Utilities Commission in the summer, which would require new users to pay a fee to join GWA's existing system - there are hundreds of development projects underway and no solution to address the situation.
So how much does a solution cost? Sanchez says about $25 million, which is money GWA doesn't have, which could mean rate increases for all residents. "We expect to raise another $150 million in the next 12-18 months and it's from that bucket of money that projects like the Marine Corps Drive upgrade and Tamuning upgrade could be paid for," Sanchez continued.
According to Department of Land Management acting chief planner Carlos Untalan, most of the time, government agencies like the Guam Environmental Protection Agency, the Guam Power Authority and GWA list conditions to contribute improvement to the system. They rarely have objections to approving new development, with Sanchez saying, "We rely very heavily on the infrastructure permitting agencies such as Guam Waterworks and Guam EPA. We rely on their positions, expertise to tell us whether that project can go forward or not."
On the other hand, he contends that from traffic congestion to wastewater problems, residents can see where the government has not consistently responded to development. Moving forward, he notes a development master plan should be created to determine what kind of our island we all want for the future. He concluded, "We need to sit down and assess how much growth do we wish to attract to Guam without compromising the quality of life that we have?"
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