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.
Implementation of a comprehensive water quality monitoring program is not possible at the present time in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI). Due to the remoteness of these islands, any routine monitoring must be accomplished by local district sanitation officers. Formulation of monitoring strategies must satisfy objectives which are realistically attainable based upon the constraints of manpower, time and finances.
The highest priority monitoring strategy is the one which must be developed for the public water system (PWS). Total coliform (TC), free residual chlorine (FRC), and turbidity analyses must be performed at least twice per month on water samples representative of the entire PWS in order to insure the delivery of safe drinking water to the public served by these systems. It is imperative that FRC be checked daily; any violations of standards must be reported to the Environmental Protection Board (EPB) within 48 hours. The PWS data should be reported to the EPB once per month.
A second monitoring scheme must evaluate the marine environments surrounding the various district centers. Fecal coliform (FC), FRC and turbidity should be monitored at representative sites at least twice per month. The marine water quality results should be reported to the EPB once per month.
