Water Resources Research Act Program

Principal Investigators: John Jenson, Gary Denton, Mark Lander, Joe Rouse

Abstract: Problem: The military buildup and ongoing economic growth anticipated on Guam over the next decade has raised concerns regarding sustainable management of Guams groundwater resources. To support informed public discussion and sound decisions, it is essential that accurate and up-to-date information on the islands water resources along with factors that must be considered to frame and implement sustainable management practices be readily accessible to local and federal policy-makers and agency heads; planners, regulators, and collaborating off-island consultants; and local water resource professionals and educators. Currently, people seeking up-to date information on Guams water resources and related environmental issues must go to a variety of sources, few of which are equipped to disseminate information or cross-check and verify it with other sources. This proposal is for development and delivery of a one-stop on-line information center to support government, professional, and public activities related to the planning, management, protection, and sustainable use Guams water resources. It would consist of (1) a page on the website of the Water & Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI) hosted by the University of Guam (UOG) Telecommunications and Distance Education Office (TADEO), with (2) links to supporting and related sites containing instructional materials and additional references. Methods: WERI researchers will each prepare illustrated but brief summary instructional material, with supporting fact sheets to provide easily accessible and reliable facts with citations and links to the sources on their respective fields of expertise. The UOG Telecommunications and Distance Education Office will assemble and post the materials on the UOG server, linked to the WERI website. Content of the web page will thereafter be maintained and kept up to date by the WERI Staff Hydrologist, who will coordinate with faculty to ensure that the materials are kept up to date, and provide the updated materials TADEO staff to post on the website. Objectives: The scope and objectives of the work include: (1) Preparation of instructional materials, including handouts and references that can be downloaded from the site, (2) Establishment and maintenance of a one-stop website with reliable, up-to-date information on Guams water resources, including rainfall and recharge; groundwater availability, withdrawal, and consumption; waste water production and treatment; and water quality conditions and concerns, (3) Presentation of the website to the WERI Community Advisory Council at its annual meeting in late September 2013.