During this week’s Consolidated Commission on Utilities meeting, concerns over water contamination in Guam took center stage. A local doctor is raising alarms about PFAS – chemicals linked to serious health risks – and claiming that the Guam Waterworks Authority is not being transparent about contamination levels.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are widely used, long-lasting chemicals that break down very slowly over time. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, they are found in water, air, soil, and even food. Exposure has been linked to harmful health effects in both humans and animals.

Dr. William Weare says PFAS contamination in Guam’s water supply is being downplayed, as he said, “But it's pretty obvious that our aquifer has been contaminated to the point that the water by FDA standards is really not acceptable.”

He expressed frustration over his attempts to obtain critical data from GWA as his Freedom of Information Act request was denied, which cited national security concerns and an ongoing lawsuit.

Commissioner Simon Sanchez noted, “There is no stonewalling and there is no information that’s being hidden. You may not like the answers that we’ve been providing you, but that doesn’t change the fact that we have been providing the information.”

Officials say new treatment systems are in development, with full implementation projected to 2027. But in the meantime, GWA general manager Miguel Bordallo stated, “23 out of 120 wells show [PFAS] levels that would require treatment and those are the focus of our design efforts.”

Bordallo also added, “The ones with the highest concentrations are still offline pending the installation of treatment systems. The other wells that do have it, where we have treatment systems in place, we are operating those treatment systems.”

But Dr. Weare is unconvinced, saying, “I would like to have the Guam epidemiologist have access as well because I think this is critical...in order to make intelligent decisions, we have to have information.”

The discussion ended by the CCU vice chairman on a hurried, defensive note and the matter was left unresolved.