Guam EPA reports PFAS drinking-water testing, lab build progress, tire-site cleanup and zero-waste initiatives

At its Jan. 30 meeting, the Guam Environmental Protection Agency (Guam EPA) updated the board on multiple ongoing environmental monitoring, infrastructure and solid-waste efforts, including PFAS drinking-water testing, plans for a new Guam EPA laboratory, federal cleanup of a large tire site, permit-review issues related to military construction and a multi-initiative zero-waste master plan.

PFAS monitoring and drinking-water sampling The agency said a memorandum of agreement routed for review will transfer $500,000 to the Guam Waterworks Authority (GWA) for PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) monitoring under an emerging contaminants grant. U.S. EPA Region 9 enforcement and compliance staff are scheduled to visit next week to perform drinking-water sampling and inspections at four public water systems: GWA North, Guam Plaza Resort and Spa, Guam International Airport and Guam International Medical City. The agency estimated inspectors will collect about 400 samples in roughly one week; testing is funded by the American Rescue Plan.

Laboratory build and technical assistance Guam EPA reported a signed contract and upcoming negotiations with a proposed vendor on a headquarters/laboratory project. The procurement model is design-bid-build; the agency said it remains in the solicitation phase for construction and that the shortlisted bidder lacks demonstrated lab-construction or laboratory-design experience. Board members and agency staff said the bidder will be expected to secure necessary subcontractor expertise.

U.S. EPA laboratory staff and engineers have offered technical-assistance routes: review of plans by Region 9 laboratory staff, input from an engineers group, and the possibility of an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) arrangement for an EPA lab expert to be on island during construction. Guam EPA said those options are being pursued to avoid prior problems and to ensure the new lab will meet required standards.

Tire-site cleanup and shredder market research The agency said U.S. EPA resumed cleanup activities at the tire site but temporarily pulled teams because of wildfire responses on the U.S. mainland; the teams hope to return in April. The federal response has already spent about $6 million on cleanup; the agency said approximately $8 million more remained available though staff said the full amount is not expected to be spent. Guam EPA continues market research on tire-shredding options.

Permits, MILCON and wetlands enforcement Guam EPA staff described permit-processing activity between Dec. 16 and Jan. 10: about 100 applications were received, 47 permits issued and 3 held. The agency said it resolved a DOD (Department of Defense) MILCON issue regarding professional-engineer (PE) stamping: for DOD military construction plans, DOD will certify its design plans and Guam EPA will review submitted calculations and comment as part of its permit process. The agency reminded the board that it maintains GIS layers to flag wetlands, sinkholes and other constrained areas and that those layers are used during internal routing of permit review and comment.

Zero-waste master plan and composting Guam EPA described the zero-waste master plan as a roadmap of 12 initiatives through 2030. Initiatives noted include islandwide mandatory residential collection, mandatory commercial food-waste diversion and composting, expansion of edible food recovery (the Hyatt Hotel participates in an edible-food-recovery program), and use of composting facilities such as Manhita Farms. The agency highlighted existing infrastructure: a construction-demolition debris processing facility that recycles concrete and asphalt millings, and compost sales (agency staff noted a $30 truckload price at a local farm vs. small retail bag prices). Guam EPA also described work with partners and possible grant opportunities for community-scale composting and circular-economy pilot projects.

Staffing, recruitment and classification Agency leadership reported 53 full-time employees and described ongoing recruitment challenges. Guam EPA closed candidate lists for certain roles and noted the hiring pipeline can be constrained by DOA certification timelines. The board and staff discussed a possible reclassification and creation of a new job series for environmental engineers and specialists to better match required qualifications and improve pay competitiveness relative to federal and other employers; the discussion included outreach to the legislature and the AAA (administrative adjudication/position-approval) process.

Enforcement and public reporting Board members raised localized concerns about recent development and fill in areas that community members believe were wetlands or ponding basins, and asked how the agency tracks, inspects and enforces permit conditions. Guam EPA responded that permit reviewers use GIS wetland/sinkhole layers and route questionable permits for additional review and that the agency provides a public reporting line and online resources for reporting potential violations.

Ending: The agency described these items as ongoing and indicated several are contingent on external approvals, partner actions or future funding; staff said they would return with updates at a future board meeting.