RMIEPAThe Republic of the Marshall Islands
Environmental Protection Authority
WATER QUALITY

Role

Our Department is established with the mandate

Responsibilities

The laboratory carries out regular testing on the quality and safety of water supply. Included are sources from:

Water Quality

Chemical & Microbiological Testing

Environmental Health

Restaurant Inspections

Healthy foods served in restaurants are vital to the well-beings of people of the Marshall Islands. RMIEPA takes the lead in conducting regular sanitary inspection on local restaurants with Majuro Atoll Local Government, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Resource and Development. The inspection is conducted quarterly in order to monitor and improve the sanitation status of the restaurants. The inspection proceeds with 26 criteria on kitchen sanitation, food storage, and the working environment. Once the inspection is done, the restaurant owners are informed with evaluation results. If they are considered unsatisfactory, they are given grace period and instructions for improving their sanitation status. Failure to comply such instructions may lead to the layoff of employees with no Health Certificate, or closure of the restaurants.

Water Supply in Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands do not have any sufficient waters so it relies heavily on rainfall and groundwater or wells.
On Majuro, the Majuro Water & Sewer Company (MWSC) supply the whole of Majuro residence with potable water. the main water supply is groundwater collected or pumpted from the end of island called Laura Village. This groundwater is supplemented with rainwater collected off the runway from the airport.
MWSC has a water storage reservoirs with a total capacity of about 38 million gallons. The water is filtered using sand filtration units, chlorinated and then distributed for human consumption.
Ebeye, on Kwajelein Atoll, which constitute about a third of the total population has a reticulated water supply system. The main source of water is desalination which runs through reverse osmosis and then chlorinated before distribution.
On the outer islands, no water supply system exists except that each household gets its water supply from a well (groundwater) and a rainwater catchment. Most of the rainwater catchment system is made of rudimentary sources. For example, the house would have only half of the roof covered with tin and one quarter supplied with rain gutters. The water is obtained from the catchment using a tin or quart which is also used for getting water from a well.

How Clean is Your Catchment?

Clean, fresh drinking water is vital for our health. Every water catchment, however, is vulnerable for various sources of contamination; from rats, decaying leaves, feces of birds, and even diapers.
To secure safe drinking water, our Laboratory suggest following solutions;
  1. Clean up equipments in regular basis (i.e. gutters, hoses, roof)
  2. Boil water for 5 minutes before drinking
  3. Add bleach into your catchment using the table below, or download the picture guide.
Add bleach according to the amount shown in the following treatment table
Amount of H2O to Disinfect Amount Bleach(4-6% Available Chlorine) to Use Contact Time or Waiting Period
1 Gallon of Water 3 drops 30 minutes
5 Gallons of Water 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon 1 - 2 hours
55 Gallons 1/4 - 1/2 oz 1 - 2 hours
300 Gallon Tank 1-2 oz Overnight
600 Gallon Tank 1/4 - 1/2 cup or 2-4 oz Overnight
900 Gallon Tank 1/2 cup or 4 oz Overnight
1500 Gallon Tank 1 and 1/2 cup or 8 - 12 oz Overnight
3000 Gallon Tank 2-3 cups Overnight

Make sure you don't EXCEED the amount of chlorine listed above.
RMIEPA also has a pamphlet for tips for safe drinking water. Contact our Laboratory for further information.