Generic water into glass Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
The Northern Marianas has been earmarked just over US$11 million in federal funds to repair and modernize its public drinking water system.
Delegate Gregorio Sablan said the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the money, from fiscal year 2025 allotments for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF), last week.
He said it is an increase from the US$10.16m granted to the CNMI last year, and it is for the fourth of five years in the Biden/Harris administration's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which the US Congress passed in 2021.
According to the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation, Saipan has 13 aquifers it relies on to provide water to 12,000 customer accounts, not including the resort properties.
There are 13 tank service areas that supply water across the island, which rely on 127 wells to provide up to 10.3 million gallons of water per day through 14 large water storage tanks.
On Tinian, they rely on one large sump area that captures rainwater that flows naturally to that low lying area.
Rota relies fully on the main cave spring from the local mountain heights to serve as the sole water supply source for the island.
Earlier this year, the CNMI was allotted more than US$17m by the EPA to replace lead service lines.
The EPA said lead can cause a range of health issues and US President Joe Biden had committed to replacing every lead pipe in the country].
According to the EPA, of the US$2.6 billion in total SRF funds for the 2025 financial year, Guam is receiving $10.08m, while American Samoa and Virgin Islands are getting $7.18m and $9.07m respectively.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $50 billion to the EPA to strengthen the nation's drinking water and wastewater systems.
EPA Drinking Water Infrastructure Development Division director Anita Maria Thompkins stated in a memo last week it is the single largest investment in clean water that the federal government has ever made.
Thompkins said the EPA's oversight role of the SRF programs, along with a commitment to provide technical assistance to states and communities, is critical to ensuring that states meet the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law priorities.