During a recent meeting with representatives from the Water and Power Authority (WAPA), Public Services Commission (PSC) member David Hughes expressed significant concerns about the current state of water testing in St. Croix, following last year’s alarming discovery of elevated levels of lead and copper. Hughes pressed for immediate action, questioning the delay in hiring a hearing examiner—a role outlined on the PSC’s website as crucial for overseeing utility compliance with regulations.

Hughes emphasized that the role of the hearing examiner is to work closely with utilities to ensure they meet the commission’s standards, particularly in regular testing to safeguard public health. “The PSC should be actively ensuring that WAPA maintains a consistent testing program that we can trust on behalf of consumers,” he stated.

The dialogue grew tense when Hughes criticized the commission’s efforts, responding to PSC Executive Director Sandra Setorie’s assurances that progress was being made with, “We as a Commission are not fulfilling our obligations.” He pointed to WAPA’s reactive measures—conducting 65 water tests in response to complaints about water discoloration—as insufficient and indicative of a need for a robust, ongoing testing program.

WAPA’s Director of Water Distribution for St. Croix, Don Gregoire, defended their practices, stating that the water is tested daily in their own laboratory, following EPA guidelines which now mandate biannual testing. However, Hughes countered that without full transparency and understanding of the testing procedures, the commission could not confidently endorse the program.

The urgency for better oversight was further highlighted by a lawsuit alleging serious deficiencies at the St. Croix laboratory, including outdated certifications and improper sample collection. These revelations support Hughes’s argument for enhanced oversight to ensure WAPA’s accountability and transparency.

Hughes also pointed out a broader issue of information deficit and lack of transparency from WAPA, underscoring the PSC’s duty to keep the public informed. “We’re not doing our job in regulatory oversight,” he lamented.

In a positive note, WAPA Chief Operating Officer for Water, Noel Hodge, announced a substantial FEMA grant aimed at overhauling St. Croix’s water infrastructure over the next two decades, with a detailed capital improvement plan underway and initial construction expected to start within three years.

Hughes’s call for the appointment of a hearing examiner underscores a critical need for PSC to enhance its regulatory role and ensure that such public health emergencies do not recur, reflecting a commitment to uphold safety and transparency in public utilities.

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) has resolved a billing error that inadvertently affected around 3,000 customers due to a glitch during system testing. The mishap occurred on Monday evening when, during a routine trial in their billing system’s test environment, unintended charges were mistakenly applied to customer accounts.

WAPA acted promptly to address the error, successfully reversing the incorrect charges for all affected accounts except two. Customers who were impacted should see a reversal transaction on their account statements, which will display as a negative amount reflecting the refund.

The utility also clarified that for those customers whose charges are still showing as pending on their bank statements, these will automatically be removed without any action needed from the customer. WAPA stressed that these pending charges will simply disappear, and the customer’s balance will adjust accordingly.

WAPA expressed regret over the confusion and inconvenience caused by the glitch. They are currently making efforts to ensure all remaining issues are swiftly corrected to prevent future occurrences.

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) has scheduled rotational power outages across the St. Thomas/St. John and St. Croix districts. This decision stems from challenging marine weather conditions and malfunctioning generation units. The authority views these outages as a strategic approach to circumvent more extensive power disruptions and to keep electricity flowing in critical areas.

Ashley Bryan, WAPA’s Chief Operation Officer, emphasized the necessity of these outages. “While we recognize the disruptions our decision may cause, these measures are crucial to prevent broader outages and ensure ongoing electrical service over the weekend,” Bryan stated. She further highlighted the efforts to balance the impact of short-term outages on fewer customers against the risk of more widespread blackouts.

Specifically, in the St. Thomas/St. John district, the combination of adverse weather and a dwindling fuel supply raises the potential for widespread power failure. To counter this threat, WAPA plans to initiate rotational outages from late Friday or early Saturday, continuing through Sunday, prioritizing electricity for essential services.

In St. Croix, the problem is compounded by several offline generation units, which will lead to reduced power output from the Estate Richmond Power Plant beginning Saturday. To manage this, the authority will implement outages during peak times—noon to 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.—until further notice. WAPA is calling on all residents and businesses to conserve energy, which is vital for stabilizing the grid and ensuring functional feeders.

WAPA is actively working on these challenges to reduce the frequency and duration of disruptions and extends its apologies for any inconvenience these necessary measures may cause.