💧 Water and Power · U.S. Virgin Islands
EPA follow-up sampling on St. Croix found lower lead levels than initial reports, WAPA said
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said on December 12, 2023, that follow-up sampling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on St. Croix found lower lead levels than initial reports from September 2023 had indicated.
WAPA said the EPA conducted sequential sampling in November 2023 at 11 homes and collected 119 tap samples. Three samples were above the EPA's 15 parts per billion lead action level, according to the authority. WAPA said EPA determined that two of those results likely reflected lead from plumbing within the faucet or aerator, while a third sample taken closer to a distribution meter likely reflected lead plumbing components in or around the meter.
According to WAPA, EPA advised that the lead levels found at private home taps were consistent with levels seen in other U.S. communities.
WAPA said it had previously provided drinking-water vouchers to customers in affected areas and started a public education campaign after a no-drinking-water advisory was issued in October 2023. The authority said additional testing was being planned and that the advisory would be lifted once those results confirmed the lower lead levels.
The authority also said point-of-use lead-removal pitchers and faucet filters had been ordered for eligible customers.
WAPA said a FEMA-funded replacement plan for St. Croix's water infrastructure was expected to cost $1.5 billion and include replacement of mainlines, service lines, pipes, tanks and pump stations. The authority said work had begun with a $30 million subgrant for master planning and conceptual design, while similar replacement plans for St. Thomas and St. John were in the FEMA application phase.