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10 Findings by U.S. EPA

Last week, US EPA released its comment on the DEIS giving it the lowest possible rating and threatening to refer the matter to the Council for Environmental Quality.

Here are some specific findings made by EPA justifying the DEIS’s failing grade:

Drinking Water

  1. There will be up to a 13.1 million gallon shortfall of drinking water per day for people living off-base in 2014.  P. 4.
  2. The shortfall of drinking water could lead to exposure to water borne diseases from sewage and run-off water mixing with our drinking water. P. 83.
  3. It is unclear how much water can safely be pumped from the aquifer, yet DoD has not completed an updated assessment.  Instead, DoD has relied on the review of a study done nearly 20 years ago.  P. 11.
  4. 85% of Guam relies on our aquifer for drinking water, yet the DEIS fails to guarantee the protection of our aquifer from bacteria and toxic contaminants.   P.  11-12.
  5. DoD has not identified where the $200 million needed to improve Guam’s wastewater system to handle the buildup will come from.  P. 20.
  6. The demand created by the buildup will increase raw sewage spills and the risk of getting sick from the contamination of our drinking water and ocean.  P.  83.

Ocean

  1. The expected impact on over 71 acres of Guam’s reef is “unprecedented.”  P. 33.
  2. There will be a significant impact to the Haputo Coral Reef Ecosystem, which has been described as a vibrant thriving coral reef community.  P. 40.

Noise & Pollution

  1. The DEIS does not adequately state how many people will be affected by the noise created by increased air traffic and the machine gun firing range. P. 85.
  2. The DEIS does not consider the pollution to our air and possible health impacts on Guam residents caused by the increase in traffic. P. 83.

A copy of US EPA’s comment can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/region09/nepa/letters/Guam-CNMI-Military-Reloc-DEIS.pdf

Articles about US EPA’s comments can be found here.

2 Responses so far.

  1. Raymond Taimanglo says:

    Once again thank you for keeping us informed about the DEIS and now the EPA report. Without your commitment and dedication to the cause we would all be in the dark and knoding our heads yes to the buildup.

  2. […] Are Guahan has posted a great ten-point summary of the EPA’s findings on their website. The problems identified by the EPA […]