Water hours and low delivery pressure have long been a part of the daily lives of the people in the Micronesian Islands. The problems with delivery of adequate supplies of water to the customers at appropriate pressure have become more and more of a challenge to public utilities throughout these islands. One of the causes for these problems is the high growth rates occurring in the island centers. This is particularly true on the island of Pohnpei in Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

Over the years the Pohnpei Public Utility Commission's (PUC) water distribution system has grown without adequate documentation as to the extent and size of supply and transmission resources and where these resources are located. In 1987 investigators from the University of Guam Water and Environmental Research Institute (WERI) developed a partial model of the water distribution system using the Kentucky Pipe Network Model. Since then many changes and additions have been made to the delivery system.

This project resulted in the development of a set of management and engineering tools, which the planning, operation, and engineering staffs at PUC can use to better plan, operate, and maintain the water delivery system. These tools will assist PUC develop a water system that can deliver adequate water to all the households in Pohnpei on a continuous basis with sufficient pressure.

The first management tool that was developed was a computerized water system network model. This model was developed using information gathered from previous studies and additional information documenting changes and additions to the system since the original data was gathered. Other information such as system pressure and flows was gathered as part of the calibration process for this model. The model will be available to the PUC engineering and planning staffs to help in pinpointing problems areas and to explore operational options for improving system performance. The model was developed using the free water distribution modeling program "EPANET".

The second tool developed was a Geographic Information System (GIS) based inventory of system resources. This GIS system describes the water sources available, the well systems in place, water storage facilities and major transmission lines in the distribution system. The GIS system consists of maps showing the location of the various components of the water transmission system and ancillary equipment. The GIS will be available to managers and engineers so that they can explore various scenarios for long range planning for system maintenance and improvements. The GIS will also be available to operations personnel so that they can maximize their resources for responding to emergencies, planning repairs, and purchasing the inventory of spare parts needed by the utility.