Law firm helps residents file claims over dieldrin water contamination

As the island community continues to push for accountability and answers surrounding dieldrin contamination, a local firm is stepping in, helping residents in Yigo, Dededo and Mangilao take legal action. 

It’s an issue that captured many of the island’s attention late last year: the detection of high levels of dieldrin in Yigo’s Well Y-15. News of the man-made insecticide contaminating the drinking water for households in the area, and the way officials communicated the threat to those affected, sparking outrage in those far and near. 

For resident Bill Ward, from the Santa Rosa area of Yigo, he couldn’t be closer to the crisis.  “When you say I live near Y-15, yes, I mean I live right up the street from it. If I stood on the top of the tanks, I could probably see my house," he said.

Ward was among those in attendance during a free community workshop in Yigo, Monday — aimed at educating residents on dieldrin contamination and the process of filing government claims against the Guam Environmental Protection Agency and the Guam Waterworks Authority. 

The workshop was offered by Camacho & Taitano, LLP, a firm that has already filed nearly three dozen claims on behalf of Yigo residents. 

Ward added, “What they were doing, they had the forms, they were explaining, they went through the form line by line, because otherwise we would’ve had questions as to what to put down for the date the claim arose, and in fact, you could put down facts if you base your claim and stuff like that, an estimate for repairs, and anything like that —so that’s what yesterday’s meeting was.”

And while the “Do Not Drink” advisory has since been lifted, with a permanent treatment system at the Yigo well underway, the firm emphasizing it’s not too late for residents to file claims, citing among other factors, the full extent of health impacts may not be known for years. 

That possibility leading Ward to do his own research. The Yigo resident coming across studies linking exposure to insecticides to an increased risk of hyperthyroidism. 

“If it’s been going on for all these years, and now that I find out it can affect TSH levels, and it’s something I’ve had documented for the last 16 years, every blood test I’ve had for the last 16 years shows high TSH levels, and the doctors can’t seem to find out what’s causing it," he said.

And while Ward credits GWA on its filtration reimbursement system, he adds, communication from agencies to consumers is still sorely lacking. 

“I think they’ve done a lousy job of keeping us informed," he said.

Camacho & Taitano also taking issue with the “adequacy of government outreach to date,” noting dieldrin contamination in both Dededo and Mangilao wells. The firm saying, “upon information and belief, residents in those communities have not received comparable notice, raising further concerns about the scope of the problem.” 

The workshop was open to residents in both villages. 

In the meantime, the firm also says Guam EPA’s source investigation has been garnering pushback from the community as, “Residents have pointed out that there are no other housing subdivisions in the area surrounding the most contaminated wells and that the proximity to Andersen Air Force Base, where dieldrin has been reported at high concentrations, raises serious questions that the agencies have yet to answer.”