Following community outcry over a Yigo water well contaminated with a banned pesticide, Guam Waterworks Authority has launched a website to provide information on the island’s drinking water.
The site, guamwatersafety.com, includes information about dieldrin, which is the chemical found in Yigo, other contaminants and water quality reports dating back to 2007.
Guam Environmental Protection Agency has opened a hotline for information on dieldrin and water safety. Residents can call 671-888-4342 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Last week, GWA General Manager Miguel Bordallo told the Mayor's Council of Guam that nobody knows when or how dieldrin entered the groundwater.
He said dieldrin, a termiticide that was in use from the 1950s until it was banned in 1987, was applied to soil before foundations were poured as part of the construction process.
GWA officials have said a temporary fix for the dieldrin contamination should be in place by the middle of the month, with a permanent treatment system in place by next summer.