Oct. 30, 2006 — Confusion arose Monday about the source of a water problem in the Frederiksted area, with two different public agencies offering conflicting reports.
According to a news release, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) had to close its offices at noon because of a lack of water. But Water and Power Authority (WAPA) officials said the area had no water issues.
DPNR Commissioner Dean C. Plaskett said the location on No. 45 Mars Hill would close its offices early "due to a lack of water in the Frederiksted area," according to the DPNR release. The commissioner apologized for any inconvenience and said, "WAPA officials notified the department that service would not be operable [for] three to four hours."
WAPA workers were actually fixing a major leak at another location, according to agency spokesperson Cassandra Dunn. The department "thought they had a water problem, but the water was returned before [any WAPA personnel] got there," she said, noting that an internal problem may have caused the confusion.
Across the parking lot at the V.I. Police Department, Lt. Thomas Hannah said the department did not report any water problems, and he was unaware of any difficulties DPNR might have faced.
Jamal Nielsen, DPNR media relations coordinator, said although there was confusion about the source of the shortage, DPNR managed to resume operations by 1 p.m. Monday and will continue to function for the rest of the week.
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