You have entered the website of the Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI) at the University of Guam. We are currently six faculty and five staff and our mission is to seek solutions through research, teaching and outreach programs, to issues and problems associated with the location, production, distribution and management of freshwater resources in Guam, the CNMI and the FSM.
In spite of adequate input water to the modern water distribution system of Kolonia, Pohnpei, substandard quality water is available to customers for only a few hours per day. The implementation and continuation of water hours in a place where rain pours, often all day long, and where streams gush with the resulting runoff, frustrates not only the government but the people as well. Previous studies indicate certain technical flaws in the system, such as system leakage, nonefficient operation of the system and inappropriate consumer behavior and attitudes toward water use.
A hydraulic model of the Kolonia, Pohnpei, water system was developed. This model characterizes the geometry of the system as well as the existing operation of the system. From this model, the best system operation, as well as the pressure and flow in each pipe of the system, can be determined. Also, this model can be used as a tool for leak detection and prediction of flow and pressure toward additional pipes.
Development of a water distribution model is only the first phase of solving the many problems with the Pohnpei distribution system. Future studies for improving the water system are required, such as: (1) a training program for all levels at the Department of Public Works, (2) a metering program, and counting the legal and illegal connections in Kolonia which determine the actual consumer usage and required water for the Pohnpei system, (3) repair and maintenance of the leakage in the system, (4) providing additional sources of water, and (5) a public education program about the water system.
