Government House briefing included hurricane update and St. Croix water system report

Government House Communications Director Richard Motta said on Sept. 11 that Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. marked the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and urged residents to honor those who were killed and the first responders and service members who responded.

At the briefing, Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency Director Daryl Jaschen said Hurricane Lee had turned north and posed no imminent threat to the U.S. Virgin Islands, though strong rip currents and swells were expected to affect the territory. He said a surf advisory and rip current statement had been issued.

Jaschen also said weather systems were being monitored, but the probability of a hurricane threatening the territory within the following week was low.

Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority Executive Director Andrew Smith said discolored water on St. Croix was linked to an aging water system that is more than 60 years old, along with low water pressure and drought conditions. He said repairs and shutdowns can stir up sediment and minerals when pressure returns.

Smith said WAPA conducts water sampling with the Environmental Protection Agency and was working with the Office of the Governor and the Department of Planning and Natural Resources on a possible residential filtration program for customers most affected by brown water. He said WAPA had identified Frederiksted, Christiansted, Clifton Hill and Campo Rico as priority areas for rehabilitation, with a project in Hannah’s Rest scheduled to begin in March 2024.

Motta also said the Elaine Ione Sprauve Library on St. John would reopen on Sept. 13, 2023, and the Florence Williams Library in Christiansted was expected to open in late October 2023.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/government-house-briefing-features-hurricane-update-wapa-ceo-unpacks-st-croix-water-woes/