Sept. 20, 2002 – Low water pressure that is the result of a pipeline rupture on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront will continue until about 10 p.m. Friday, Water and Power Authority spokeswoman Patricia Blake Simmonds said in the afternoon.
She said customers along the entire potable water system are being affected because WAPA shut down its pumps to make the needed repairs and is distributing water by gravity feed.
Customers in the flat areas are getting water from their taps, but those who live in the hills probably won't get any flow, Simmonds said. But, she added, "Not a soul has complained."
She estimated that about one-third of St. Thomas residents are tied into the potable water system, which runs from Cyril E. King Airport east to the Tutu and Thomasville areas.
The rupture in the 24-inch pipe occurred on the waterfront apron across from International Plaza between 11 p.m. and midnight Thursday. Simmonds said the affected item is a major transmission pipe.
Most of the water that escaped when the pipe broke ran into the sea, although a small amount pooled on the concrete apron, she said. Traffic was not affected.
The cause of the rupture has not been determined. "It appears to be one of those things," Simmonds said.
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