THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THIRTEENTH NORTHERN MARIANAS COMMONWEALTH LEGISLATURE FIRST REGULAR SESSION, 2002

House Resolution No. 13-033 Introduced by: Rep. Jesus T. Attao Referred to: N/A Rep. Andrew S. Salas Rep. Ramon A. Tebuteb Standing Committee Report: None ______

A HOUSE RESOLUTION

To respectfully request the Honorable Juan N. Babauta, Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern , Mr. Bernard P. Villagomez, Executive Director of the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation and the Board of Directors of the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation to expedite the water desalinization plant for Precinct III as pilot project namely Lower Navy Hill, Upper Navy Hill, Proper, China Town, Falipe, As Palomo, , Lower Gualo Rai, Quarter Master, , Chalan Laulau and San Jose villages.

1 WHEREAS, the villages of Precinct III namely, Lower Navy Hill, Upper Navy Hill, 2 Garapan Proper, China Town, Falipe, As Palomo, Gualo Rai, Lower Gualo Rai, Quarter Master, 3 Chalan Kiya, Chalan Laulau and San Jose, have been burdened for many years with poor water 4 supply not only in the quantity of water available but extremely poor in the quality which is 5 detrimental of the health of its residents; and 6 WHEREAS, Commonwealth Utilities Corporation has drilled five (5) (deep) water wells in 7 Gualo Rai but only one (1) was producing water at about 35 gallons per minute; and 8 WHEREAS, Commonwealth Utilities Corporation has drilled two (2) (deep) water wells 9 in China Town, one (1) of the wells producing less than 30 gallons per minute and one (1) 10 producing more than 60 gallons per minute, but extremely poor in quality; and 11 WHEREAS, the rapid growth of the population of these areas in recent years has 12 exacerbated an already desperate need for a consistent supply of potable water which does not 13 exist, together with the already meager supply of tap water being so salty and utterly unfit for 14 human consumption and use; and

Page 1 House Resolution No. 13-033 ______

1 WHEREAS, the residents of the aforementioned areas have been suffering for the longest 2 time due to water rationing or no water at all; and 3 WHEREAS, in order to remedy this urgent situation, building an operation of a sea water 4 reverse osmosis desalinization plant is the key to providing potable water in sufficient supply to the 5 villages of Precinct III and the island of as a pilot project; and 6 WHEREAS, the operation of such a sea water reverse osmosis desalinization plant to 7 provide potable water is entirely consistent with the Governor’s Emergency Water Task Force 8 findings per the recently completed Saipan Water Master Plan; now, therefore 9 BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives, Thirteenth Northern Marianas 10 Commonwealth Legislature, that the House urgently requests the Honorable Juan N. Babauta, 11 Governor of the Commonwealth of , the CUC Board Chairman and 12 Members and Mr. Bernard P. Villagomez, Executive Director of Commonwealth Utilities 13 Corporation to expedite the RFP for a desalinization plant; and 14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Speaker of the House shall certify and the House 15 Clerk shall attest to the adoption of this resolution and thereafter transmit copies to the Honorable 16 Juan N. Babauta, Governor, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; the CUC Board 17 Chairman and Members; and Mr. Bernard P. Villagomez, Executive Director of Commonwealth 18 Utilities Corporation.

Adopted by the House of Representatives on March 7, 2002

CERTIFIED BY: ATTESTED TO BY:

______HEINZ S. HOFSCHNEIDER EVELYN C. FLEMING SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE HOUSE CLERK

Page 2