by Janjeera Hail

Guam - Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood will hear from the Department of Justice and the Guam Waterworks Authority tomorrow at a quarterly status hearing at the District Court. In their latest status report, the DoJ blasted Waterworks for relying on buildup negotiations to help pay for secondary wastewater treatment without any finalized commitment from the military.

Consolidated Commission on Utilities Chairman Simon Sanchez says, however, that GWA cannot ignore the Marines' relocation in planning how to move forward with the stipulated order. "By completing the seven things on the stipulated order, what does remain to be done is still being negotiated with USEPA, but it's very difficult to negotiate a consent decree while you have this marine buildup looming with the potential to provide great resources to some of these solutions," he explained.

GWA just obtained a $118 million bond that will go toward completing the projects under the stipulated order. The status hearing is scheduled for 9am tomorrow at District Court.