St Croix water crisis remains unresolved, USVI govt under pressure

The island of St Croix has been dealing with a water crisis brought on by high levels of copper and lead found in the water supply, rendering it unfit for consumption. The issue surfaced in November of 2023 and has yet to be resolved, becoming a cause for concern to citizens as well as the government of the US Virgin Islands.

Initial stages of the Water Crisis

The residents of the island showed their dissatisfaction with the situation by bringing a class-action lawsuit against the Water and Power Authority and Seven Seas Water Corporation in late 2023, accusing them of negligence and failing to maintain the island’s supply of potable water.

The CEO of the public utility agency, Andrew Smith, spoke up against the lawsuit citing the fact that his organisation responded promptly to the situation and acted with transparency for the benefit of the island’s residents.

At that point in time, Smith had stated that the authorities were working hard to improve the water supply of St Croix and had immediately come out with the news of the water supply being contaminated, as reports came in.

In a statement regarding the matter, he said the following, “We … are disappointed that amidst these challenging circumstances, there are those who seek monetary gain by exploiting the evolving situation impacting the people of St. Croix.”

The Seven Seas Water Corporation on the other hand, refrained from commenting on the issue, much to the ire of the citizens of St Croix. The organisation, which is based in Maimi, Florida, is responsible for providing water to the public utility, which then heads out for distribution on the island.

Lee J Rohn, who represents the firm which has filed the lawsuit on behalf of many of the citizens of the island, stated that some of her clients had seen elevated levels of lead in the blood work of their children, which is a matter of great concern.

Hence, in her mind, it is imperative that those who are responsible for this lapse answer for it in the court of law. She added that, “It would be narrow-minded at best to limit this to some idea that somebody is looking for monetary gain. What people are looking for is justice.”

The situation arose when the roughly 50,600 residents of St Croix noticed that their tap water was reddish brown in the latter part of September, 2023. This led to a series of complaints from the public which jolted the authorities into action, leading to an investigation of the water supply.

Upon investigating the matter, the local government realized that there were elevated levels of lead and copper in the island’s water supply and immediately warned citizens to stop consuming tap water on the island.

As the investigation proceeded, the Governor of the US Virgin Islands announced a state of emergency, which was seconded by President Joe Biden, owing to the nature of the problem.

To help meet the needs of the residents of St Croix, the authorities handed out vouchers for bottled water.

Another controversy was sparked by the notion that the results could have been false as the tests conducted initially did not meet the US Environmental Protection Agency’s standards.

The attorney heading the class action lawsuit on behalf of the island’s citizens dismissed this, stating that her clients had presented with elevated levels of lead in their systems, lending undeniable credence to the initial reports.

She also went on to criticize the government for peddling the idea that the levels of lead were low or negligible in the samples taken from schools on the island of St Croix.
Rohn gave the following statement to address the matter, “There should be no levels of lead. The people can’t drink their water. They can’t bathe in their water. They can’t cook with their water. They can’t brush their teeth with their water, and they’re being told by WAPA that they should spend money to fix their own plumbing.”

The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has stated categorically that the presence of lead in the water supply, it being a heavy metal, can cause significant harm to the brains of children, slowing their development, causing hearing problems, speech impediments and deteriorating their nervous system.

To make matters worse, many residents are worried about the effect of having consumed contaminated water already, considering the fact that they were unaware of the elevated levels initially. This is one of the most pertinent motivations behind the filing of the class action lawsuit.

The fact that WAPA has admitted to testing the water supply once every 3 years makes the problem an even more daunting one.

The case registered against the water authority seeks the free of charge replacement of the lead service lines and payments to citizens for the cost they have incurred due to the break down of the water supply.

No clear resolution in site

Authorities in the US Virgin Islands have announced that they will be providing water filters and test water for copper and lead free of charge as the water supply on the island of St Croix remains contaminated.

The issue has seen no definitive resolution after months of investigations and deliberation by the authorities, sparking immense dissatisfaction among the citizens of the island.
These facilities were offered to citizens via a virtual town hall gathering which confirmed that the water crisis continues.

Studies conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency have clarified that according to the 119 samples taken from multiple homes in St Croix, the lead levels were significantly lower than the readings received from distribution meters.

There were however 3 samples which presented with levels beyond the accepted limit set by the EPA, as stated in a report released in December 2023.

The 31 samples which were tested by local authorities are said to have presented with acceptable levels according to the US federal standards, as stated by Don Gregoire, the Water Director for St Croix.

Citizens are not willing to buy this narrative though, as was evident during the virtual town hall meeting where Shirley Smith, a resident of St Croix said the following, “Everyone knows the water is still not safe.”

She went on to demand that the stricter standards must be set for copper and lead levels in the water supply, as the current federal standards are not acceptable.

Another concerned citizen agreed, saying that the only acceptable standard for lead levels in the water supply is zero.

The authorities have concurred with this assessment and have said that they are currently working on resolving the issue in a definitive manner.

The government of the US Virgin Islands has taken measures which include the installation of lead-free meter boxes and other equipment, free lead testing for children up to the age of 6 and the distribution of thousands of water vouchers.

The authorities have also tested 1,270 people, out of which three have tested positive for lead, six for copper and 17 are waiting for conclusive results.

The distribution of free water filters began on Thursday and the relevant authorities have continued testing the water supply at multiple businesses and homes all over the island.

Noel Hodge, chief operating officer for water in St. Croix explained that a long-term solution to the issue has been formulated, which would require the elimination of corrosion from the distribution lines and a complete revamping of the entire system itself.

Unfortunately, this process is expected to take 20 years and cost $1.5 billion, which is a huge ask for the government but one that has to be met nonetheless.

Investigations into the cause of the water crisis on St Croix have revealed that the system is over 60 years old and that the Water and Power Authority in St. Croix treats up to 3 million gallons of drinking water a day, thus serving 40% of the island’s 41,000 residents.

It has also been made public that $30 million in federal funds have already been allocated to the Water and Power Authority in St Croix, to deal with the crisis.

Gregoire stated the following, “The couple million that we’ve been getting will definitely not cover the replacement,” he said, adding that officials are looking at upgrading pump stations as well. “It’s basically bringing our water system up to industry standards.”

He wished to highlight the fact that the $5-7 million that are allocated to the water agency are not even close to being enough to overhaul the system, adding that it is imperative to acquire federal funding for such a massive undertaking.

The stark reality of the situation is that the authorities were unable to answer with confidence when citizens asked them to give a timeline for when the water supply will become fit for consumption.

After a few moments of silence, Harold Mark of the Department of Natural Resources replied by saying it was entirely dependent on the data that the authorities are currently collecting and compiling.