The Guam Waterworks Authority has agreed to undergo wastewater system improvements estimated to cost $400 million as part of a consent decree with U.S. officials. The deal is aimed at addressing sewer overflows and other alleged Clean Water Act violations.
The authority is responsible for Guam's drinking water and wastewater systems. Its wastewater system includes 320 miles of gravity sewer and force mains, 82 pump stations and four treatment plants across the North Pacific island U.S. territory. In a complaint filed in federal court in Guam Jan. 31, U.S. Department of Justice lawyers wrote that GWA’s system experienced at least 237 sanitary sewer overflows between January 2018 and September 2021.