Sen. Sabina Perez and four other senators have introduced Bill 322-37, a measure to appropriate $15 million from fiscal year 2024 general fund excess to the Guam Waterworks Authority for the design and construction of wastewater infrastructure for parental and decedent subdivisions above the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer.
Speaker Therese Terlaje and Sens. Telo Taitague, Joanne Brown and Chris Barnett are cosponsors of the measure.
Bill 322 comes as lawmakers are considering Bill 175-37 this session. That measure proposes to change the island’s sewage laws to better accommodate development on decedent estates while incorporating a new type of toilet facility to address nitrate contamination.
Bill 175 had proved to be one of the more contentious bills this session but managed to make it to the voting file with support from 10 senators.
Specifically, Bill 175 saw pushback because it initially proposed smaller minimum lot sizes for unsewered properties within Guam’s Groundwater Protection Zone as long as nitrogen-reducing systems were used, which prompted concerns about the negative impact increased development density could have on Guam’s drinking water supply regardless of nitrogen-reducing technology.
The language was scaled back in a substitute version of the bill to specifically accommodate decedent estates, but that didn’t alleviate every concern among certain senators. Perez, head of the legislative committee on environment, proposed several amendments to Bill 175 but only some managed to pass. Some of Perez’s amendments were said to be too substantive and should be proposed through separate legislation.
“The NGLA provides over 80% of the island’s drinking water and is essential to our very survival. The need to protect it from irreparable harm is non-negotiable. In the wake of Bill 175, which has moved to the voting file, serious concerns have been raised about the potential increase in nitrate and PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination and the doubling of wastewater into our aquifer,” Perez stated in a press release announcing Bill 322.
“It is extremely pertinent that we make other efforts to increase housing opportunities for our people, while simultaneously providing protections and mitigating the increasing contamination to the NGLA,” Perez added.
Taitague stated in the release that important questions remain unanswered about the “proposed wastewater treatment under discussion in the Legislature,” an apparent reference to the nitrogen-reducing systems.
“A sewer system would better protect our aquifer while allowing for construction of homes on these properties. If we are determined to push forward with the development of northern Guam despite potential risks to our clean water, this legislation will be our saving grace from the half-baked initiatives our people will surely pay for,” Taitague added.
Barnett noted in the release that debate was “shut down” on Bill 175 last week but added that the conversation on the issue “must continue.” Barnett was talking about the June 28 vote to end debate on Bill 175. By that time, only two senators had spoken on the measure, including Perez. However, discussion on Bill 175 lasted about two days, with most of that time spent debating Perez’s amendments.
The release stated that Bill 322 is a “win-win” that would address outdated infrastructure and ultimately support responsible housing development by expanding access to wastewater infrastructure that will protect Guam’s main natural source of drinking water.