Originally published in Directions Magazine; June/July 1997

Open the Flood Gates!

by Paul E.R. Packbier

It is 5 o’clock in the morning; any morning. Leaky faucets, stuck flapper valves, and air conditioner condensate has provided a steady trickle of water into the sewerline connecting my house to the "lateral" line serving our street for conveyance to the closest treatment plant. A few early risers cause intermittent surges in the flowrate when they flush their toilets, brush their teeth, and take showers. Soon, all will change. By seven o’clock alarms ring and roosters crow, and slowly the island community wakes to another beautiful tropical day.

WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE!

En masse we wake up every morning and seriously tax the island’s infrastructure. Showers rage and toilets roar, washing machines are turned on, and breakfast dishes are rinsed. The most efficient and cheapest way to get rid of these wastewaters is through gravity sewerlines that funnel the water away from our living quarters. However, we can’t all live on top of the hill and, frankly, some of the most beautiful parts of the island are on the beach, barely above sea level. And while all our neighbors are flushing their toilets and rinsing their plates, more than one million visitors per year are also waking up and are taking care of their human needs. It is no wonder that we see sewer manholes popping off and raw sewage flowing down the street! To make matters even worse, some of our less community minded brethren have taken it upon themselves to alleviate local flooding problems by connecting stormdrains to sewerlines. Every significant rainfall adds another million or so gallons per day to the already over-taxed sewer system.

PUMP IT, SUMP IT, LUMP IT.

In order to alleviate pressure on our most heavily taxed sewer systems, we have been installing "force mains." These sewerlines are operated with powerful pumps that work against the flow of gravity and push the onslaught of wastewater to less congested areas of the island. However, these pumps require a lot of preventive maintenance to keep operating at optimum levels. As a community, and as the upcoming census figures will indicate, we are growing rapidly. In addition, the Governor’s visionary 2001 development plan has identified the need for an additional 1000-some hotel rooms. Currently, many hotels on Tumon have their own "holding tanks," in which sewage generated on premises is stored until a predetermined time when it is allowed to be discharged into the island’s system. However, a day has only 24 hours, and frequently even the staggered pump schedules cause the system to overload.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE SEWER TUNNEL

A recent conversation with a Special Projects Engineer at DPW enlightened me as to what our plans are to manage the anticipated growth in Tumon. Through legislative action, the Governor was recently authorized to borrow up to $52.9 million dollars from a bank for infrastructure improvements, primarily in Tumon. In addition to aesthetic improvements, such as moving power lines underground, major landscaping, installing benches along San Vitores, providing public beach access, and providing timely trash collection, Tumon Beach’s water and wastewater management system will undergo much needed changes. Construction is anticipated to start in July or August of this year and will include the installation of additional sewer force-mains and laterals, the construction of ponding basins for stormwater management or storm drains that convey the area’s runoff to the Harmon Sink area, and the installation of an 16-inch waterline.

We need to brace ourselves for some major inconveniences during this process. For instance, the already congested roadway between DFS/Planet Hollywood and the new Liberty House/Hard Rock Cafe complex is slated for the installation of 6 underground lines for sewage, water and power. This is not going to be an easy feat from an engineering point of view. Merchants and hotels owners are part of the Tumon Bay Infrastructure Task Force, an exemplary private/public partnership, whose goal is to minimize adverse impacts while working on the much needed improvements.