💧 Water and Power · St. Croix, VI
St. Croix water pressure restored after tie-in work and Federal Building upgrades caused delays
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said water service interruptions on St. Croix began at 5 p.m. on October 24, 2024, during scheduled tie-in work for new customers near the Virgin Islands Territorial Public Health Laboratory and the Office of Emergency Medical Services Regulatory in Estate Richmond.
WAPA said the work caused low to no water pressure in communities including Richmond, Catherine’s Rest and Work and Rest. The authority said the initial project was completed at about 11 p.m., but additional upgrades to the water system, including a meter and valves at the Federal Building, delayed restoration of normal pressure.
According to WAPA, a contractor completed the additional upgrades at about 5 a.m. on October 25, 2024. WAPA said water personnel then activated an additional pump station, and many customers began seeing normal water pressure by about 6:30 a.m.
The authority said customers in elevated areas and on the western portion of St. Croix were expected to see normal pressure restored later on October 25, 2024.
WAPA advised customers affected by the outage to flush water lines by running taps for several minutes after service returned and to remove water filters before flushing, then reinstall them afterward.