💧 Water and Power · U.S. Virgin Islands
WAPA, territorial agencies joined EPA dialogue on St. Croix water sampling
Official document: https://www.viwapa.vi/docs/default-source/2023-pr/jic-release----wapa-dpnr-and-others-joined-epa-at-the-environmental-dialogue.pdf?sfvrsn=443dac37_3
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, the Department of Health and VITEMA took part in an Environmental Protection Agency dialogue in Frederiksted on October 24, 2023, to discuss lead and copper concerns tied to St. Croix water sampling.
According to the release, officials reviewed sampling conducted with the University of the Virgin Islands, DPNR and EPA on September 28 and September 29, 2023, at 16 priority locations on St. Croix that had experienced reddish-brown water. The discussion also covered plans for resampling and customer outreach.
The agencies said the meeting included an explanation of EPA lead and copper guidelines and WAPA's testing schedule. The release said WAPA's most recent three-year lead and copper testing cycle in September 2023 met the EPA's 90th-percentile threshold, with two customers requiring notification of lead presence under EPA guidelines.
The release said resampling was presented as a step to verify initial results while agencies developed contingency plans pending additional test results.
The Department of Health said lead-exposure testing was available at the Frederiksted Health Center on St. Croix and at the St. Thomas East End Medical Center at Tutu Park Mall on St. Thomas.