💧 Water and Power · St. Croix, VI
St. Croix water retests found elevated lead and copper in some areas, JIC said
Official document: https://www.viwapa.vi/docs/default-source/2023-pr/jic-release-(10.26.23)-----stx-water-testing-results-vary-levels-of-lead-and-copper-remain-high.pdf?sfvrsn=1ef5563_3
The U.S. Virgin Islands Joint Information Center said on October 27, 2023, that retesting at sites in the Water and Power Authority’s potable water distribution system on St. Croix confirmed elevated lead and copper levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 15 parts per billion action level for lead.
Based on those results, the Unified Incident Command recommended that St. Croix residents not consume or ingest the water. The notice said residents could continue to bathe, flush toilets, wash clothes and clean with the water under EPA guidance.
The JIC said additional testing and investigation were continuing to determine the source and extent of the problem. It said WAPA and the Department of Planning and Natural Resources found that flushing water lines significantly reduced lead and copper levels, in some cases to below the action level or to non-detectable levels, and that WAPA was continuing a flushing program.
The initial tests that identified the issue were taken on September 28 and September 29, 2023, during an investigation by WAPA, DPNR and the EPA into brown and red water in the system.
The release said a second round of samples taken at St. Croix Educational Complex, John H. Woodson Junior High School, Alfredo Andrews Elementary School and the Mount Pleasant Housing Community found lead and copper levels that were either non-detectable or below the 15 parts per billion action level.
The JIC said the September samples and retested samples were not collected under the federal Lead and Copper Rule protocol, but said the results indicated a need for further investigation into the sources of lead and copper in WAPA’s distribution system.
The release also said the Virgin Islands government was working with federal agencies to assemble data and documentation in support of a request for a presidential emergency declaration related to the water issue.