H1 2026 Evaluation
Samoa Reservoir Transparency
F3Opaque — Ranked #123 out of 167 countries
weight 30%
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weight 15%
weight 13%
weight 10%
weight 8%
weight 5%
Primary source evaluated
Dimension breakdown
Data Availability
20% of total score
Afulilo Reservoir (approx. 10 Mm³, built 1992) is Samoa's primary hydropower and water supply asset, operated by EPC for power generation via the Ta'elefaga Power Station. Samoa Water Authority (SWA) provides urban water supply. EPC and the National Meteorology Division have developed an internal water storage outlook model (COSPPac-supported) for operational planning, but this is an internal decision-support tool — not a public data publication. No downloadable reservoir level dataset, API, or public dashboard has been identified for Afulilo or any other Samoan water body.
Technical Accessibility
15% of total score
EPC's website (epc.ws) and SWA's portal (samoawaterauthority.ws / e-water.swa.gov.ws) are publicly accessible, but neither exposes reservoir storage data. The SWA consumer self-service portal relates to billing and service requests. No data API or structured download of Afulilo water levels has been found.
Coverage
30% of total score
Methodology v1.3.0 (capacity-weighted). Samoa's only significant surface reservoir is Afulilo (~10 hm³, EPC, 1992), at the lower threshold of qualifying capacity. EPC operates an internal COSPPac-supported water storage outlook model for operational planning but publishes no Afulilo storage data — no dashboard, no monthly bulletin, no machine-readable feed. Covered capacity is 0 hm³. Coverage = round(100 × 0 / 10) = 0.
Historical Depth
13% of total score
EPC's internal water storage outlook model incorporates historical rainfall and reservoir data for operational modelling, implying a multi-year internal record exists. However, this dataset is not published. The GEF-Pacific IWRM diagnostic report (2020) references Afulilo's role in Samoa's water system without providing downloadable historical storage time series.
Update Frequency
10% of total score
No regular public reporting cadence for Afulilo water levels has been identified. EPC publishes annual reports covering generation statistics. No weekly, monthly, or real-time reservoir bulletins are publicly available from EPC or SWA.
Methodological Transparency
8% of total score
The COSPPac-developed water storage outlook model is described in a news article (Samoa Observer) and in regional programme documentation, indicating the methodology involves coupling NMS rainfall forecasts with reservoir operating curves. However, no formal methodology document has been published publicly. The model's parameters, calibration data, and uncertainty bounds are not accessible.
Language and Usability
5% of total score
English is a co-official language alongside Samoan, and all EPC and SWA materials are published in English. Websites are fully accessible to international English-speaking audiences. No language barrier applies, though the near-total absence of public reservoir data limits usability regardless.
Evaluator notes
Samoa presents an instructive case of institutional capacity outpacing transparency: EPC operates a sophisticated internal water storage outlook system for Afulilo Reservoir, developed in partnership with the National Meteorology Division and supported by the Australian COSPPac programme. This system enables EPC to plan generation dispatch across wet and dry seasons. Despite this operational sophistication, no component of the system's output is published for public access — not the storage level, not the forecast, not the historical record. The Samoa Water Authority similarly operates a consumer portal (e-water.swa.gov.ws) focused on billing and service requests, with no water resource monitoring data visible. Samoa's RTI score is constrained almost entirely by the gap between internal data capability and public data release. Publishing even a monthly Afulilo level figure — the type of data EPC already produces internally — would substantially raise the country's score. SPC and SPREP regional frameworks (PRIF, Pacific Water) provide a peer context in which peer nations have begun publishing water monitoring data.
Evaluated by Jaime Delgado · 2026-09-15 · Methodology v1.3.0