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ASPA drinking water is safe, says Annual Drinking Water Report for 2007
The American Samoa Power Authority has released its annual drinking water report for 2007 for Tutuila and Aunu’u which covers the monitoring period between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007. The report is an overall glimpse of last year’s water quality.
According to the report, ASPA water is safe as the semi-autonomous agency takes their responsibility to provide safe drinking water very seriously. “Like you, we and our families also drink the same water and share the same concerns,” the report says.
Island wide, ASPA operates over 50 sources and 2 surface water treatment plants that are located among 9 different hydraulic districts. Tap water generally comes from those sources located within the resident’s area and not from all 50.
Each year, according to the report, the sources and systems are tested for different types of contaminants by the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency and MWH Laboratories.
To ensure the tap water is safe to drink, the USEPA regulates the amount of certain contaminants that are permitted to be in water provided by public water systems. (A contaminant is any substance that may pose a potential health concern if presented in very large quantities).
The highest amount allowable in drinking water is known as the maximum contaminant level and this limit is the standard for safe drinking water, as set by the USEPA and enforced by the ASEPA.
The report states that an assessment of the drinking water source(s) for the ASPA system was completed in January 2000 and the assessment was confined to the Tafuna-Leone plains, mainly in the Malaeimi Valley, where about 80% of the water system feeds off of.
(A copy of the complete assessment is available at ASPA’s Tafuna office).
According to the report, ASPA disinfects the water is produces from the wells with a liquid chlorine solution called sodium hypochlorite with a concentration that ranges from 0.2 milligrams per liter (mg/l) up to approximately 0.8 mg/l. The chlorine is added as a disinfectant to kill harmful bacteria and viruses that may be present in the water.
On a per gallon basis, ASPA drinking water is cheap. On average, water cost is slightly more than $2.44 per 1,000 gallons, although the costs tend to be lower for large water systems. Disinfections account for about 15% of that cost, while other costs are for equipment (such as the treatment plant and distribution system), and labor for operation and maintenance of the system.
For Aunu’u, ASPA has a reverse osmosis (RO) unit in located there to filter out chlorides, or salt. An ultraviolet (UV) light system is also used after the RO unit to provide final disinfection of the drinking water just before it flows from the tap. A small dosage of chlorine is added to the Aunu’u water where it is stored in an indoor tank.
Currently, ASPA does not have regularly scheduled public meetings with regards to their water system but if the need arises, announcements will be made through newspapers, television, radio, or mail.
A copy of the annual report has been distributed through the mail.
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