Aimée Griles-Cariño, executive director of Our Town Frederiksted, and Maria Friday from Estate Colquhoun gave passionate testimonies before the V.I. Legislature on Friday about the water crisis on St. Croix and how it affects their friends and neighbors.
Friday compared the St. Croix situation, where the Water and Power Authority water has been found to have high lead levels, to the Flint, Michigan water crisis. Two non-debatable comparisons between St. Croix’s situation and Flint’s 10 years ago are that residents complained long before officials acted and an aging infrastructure contributed to the crisis.
One similarity yet to be seen on St. Croix is a vast number of residents suffering from lead poisoning, as was the case in Flint. Representatives from the V.I. Health Department said at Friday’s Committee of the Whole hearing that 64 students at Alfredo Andrews Elementary School were tested for lead poisoning, and no evidence of lead poisoning was found.
Andrew Smith, chief executive officer of the Water and Power Authority, testified that he and other WAPA officials were surprised when testing by the Environmental Protection Agency last month showed unacceptable levels of lead and copper in the water going to homes on the west end of the big island. He said WAPA had tested the water one month previous and had not found high levels.
Smith went through a lengthy presentation detailing how the testing was done and how stagnant water in the pipes could have led to the lead levels and the advantages of running water through the pipes before using it. His report was seen as dry by some people and prompted one commenter on social media to call it a chemistry report.
It didn’t appear to satisfy many people like Friday, who, in her testimony, said, “Residents are ensnared in a web of anxiety. Every time they turn on the tap, they are faced with potential harm. Drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, and cleaning — such rudimentary activities now carry the risk of lead-induced cognitive impairments in children and severe health implications for adults.”
Local officials such as Kyle Fleming, chairman of the WAPA Governing Board, Jean-Pierre Oriol, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and Henry Charrabe, chief executive officer of Seven Seas Water Corporation, outlined what various agencies were doing to alleviate the crisis.
Sens. Alma Francis Heyliger, Dwayne DeGraff, and Franklin Johnson all indicated that they did not see the sense of urgency that was needed to bring some relief to the 3,800 homes now told not to drink the water from WAPA.
Griles-Cariño had specific ideas about what “urgent actions” WAPA needed to perform. They included a clean water supply and water filters for affected residents, clear communication on distribution, and waiving charges for contaminated water.
All her proposals received discussion at the hearing. Smith said WAPA was already researching the kinds and cost of filters that could be placed in homes. However, he said the cost of providing all the homes affected with fresh potable water might be cost-prohibitive. As for the elimination of charges for water at the affected homes, Smith said a formula for such a credit was being worked on.
Oriol said in his closing statement, “Maria Friday deserves better drinking water. Our people deserve better water.”
The EPA testing of the water was brought about because of complaints by West End residents of brownish-red water coming out of their faucets.
Residents with health concerns about lead in potable water can call the Health Department hotlines from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 340-712-6299 or 340-776-1519. DPNR also operates a hotline number about concerns on sampling, 340-514-3666, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Attending the hearing were Sens. Marvin Blyden, Angel Bolques Jr., Diane Capehart, Samuel Carrión, Dwayne DeGraff, Ray Fonseca, Alma Francis Heyliger, Novelle Francis Jr., Donna Frett-Gregory, Kenneth Gittens, Marise James, Franklin Johnson, Carla Joseph, and Milton Potter.
