Bryan declared state of emergency over sargassum buildup affecting St. Croix water production

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. issued an executive order on July 24, 2022, declaring a state of emergency in the U.S. Virgin Islands because of unusually large amounts of sargassum seaweed accumulating on shore and affecting water-production capabilities on St. Croix.

Government House said Bryan also sent a request to the Biden administration seeking a federal emergency declaration for St. Croix. Federal Emergency Management Agency teams were expected in the territory on July 24, 2022, to help coordinate the response.

The government said maintenance efforts had increased to keep the water intake for the St. Croix desalination plant clear of seaweed and related biological debris. Reduced water production also could affect the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority's power-generating capacity, according to the statement.

Government House said there were no reported public-health impacts from the sargassum buildup as of July 24, 2022, but residents of St. Croix were advised to conserve water.

The executive order designated Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Jean-Pierre Oriol as incident commander and directed VITEMA to activate emergency operations centers. It also directed the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs to institute relevant price freezes on certain goods and services, ordered agencies under the governor's authority to cooperate with DPNR, and suspended certain procurement requirements tied to the response.

Government House said the immediate threat was specific to St. Croix, though pre-emptive efforts were also underway on St. Thomas to protect water-production capacity there.

DPNR was monitoring NOAA's Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System to track and forecast sargassum blooms, which were forecast to affect Caribbean waters into mid-October.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-declares-state-of-emergency-to-mitigate-impact-of-sargassum-inundation-on-territory/