The Coral Bay Community Council (CBCC) encourages residents to test their cistern drinking water on a regular basis (at least every six months) or if they notice any change in quality (such as a change in taste, smell or color).
“Testing by a professional lab helps assure that the drinking water supply is safe to drink. Safe drinking water does not contain bacteria or sediment, which filtration and UV purification treatment methods should be removing if they are working well and are properly maintained,” according to CBCC’s recommendations on their website.
The only local (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-certified lab is Ocean Systems Laboratory on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Therefore, to assist Coral Bay St. John residents get their water tested easily, CBCC is providing a group pick-up and drop-off service at its office for a round of testing on Wednesday, Feb. 8. This occasional service was developed to reduce the time and costs for Coral Bay residents in picking up the required sterilized container and dropping off their drinking water samples in Red Hook, St. Thomas.
CBCC has periodically provided this pickup/drop-off service since 2010 and is looking forward to helping Coral Bay residents again. To participate in this event, follow these steps:
Step 1 – Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 31 through Tuesday, Feb. 7, residents can stop by the CBCC’s Office (across from the Coral Bay Fire Station) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to pick up a sterilized container and sampling forms and pay for the test with a check (no cash) for $54.75 payable to Coral Bay Community Council.
Sample bottles are limited, one bottle per household, and are on a first-come, first-served basis until supplies run out. (If some need this test but the cost is not within their budget, contact CBCC and CBCC will help make it happen.)
Step 2 – On Wednesday, Feb. 8, residents will collect their drinking water samples and drop it off at the CBCC office along with forms from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. After the sample is analyzed by Ocean Systems Laboratory, results are normally emailed to the resident within 72 hours.
It is also possible to schedule Ocean Systems Laboratory staff to come to one’s home, business or vacation rental property and collect samples for a fee of $95.81 (St. Thomas) and $105.81 (St. John), which includes the analysis. Their phone number is 714-1911.
If people do not have a filtration and UV purification system yet or have questions about their system, they can contact CBCC at 776-2099, email CBCC@coralbaycommunitycouncil.org or stop by the office.
“We are here to help residents get clean drinkable water that meets EPA-drinking water standards,” said Rachel McKinley, CBCC’s environmental programs manager. “Good water quality is imperative to the health and happiness of our community.”
These services are part of implementing the Coral Bay Watershed Management Plan and specifically part of CBCC’s United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant-funded water and wastewater system management work.
See more at https://coralbaycommunitycouncil.org/water-and-waste-water/
