As St. Thomas and St. John recover from last weekend’s blackout, work crews across the territory were scrambling to avert another infrastructure disaster. The Virgin Islands’ sewer pipes are in dire condition, officials said Friday.
Many of the pipes and other critical sewer system equipment were long past their replacement date and deteriorating fast, officials at the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority said. But there was good news.
VIWMA crews hoped to have St. John’s Power Boyd Pump Station issues resolved by Saturday, potentially ending unsanitary conditions in Estate Chocolate Hole. The station has had problems going back at least a decade.
Next on the list would be the long-troubled Cancryn area of St. Thomas, which could be free of unpleasant odors by the end of the weekend, VIWMA said in a written statement.
“Once completed, these repairs are expected to significantly improve system performance and alleviate unpleasant odors, wastewater backups, and other nuisances that have affected surrounding neighborhoods and businesses. This work represents a crucial step toward improving service reliability and quality of life for residents in the affected areas,” the statement said.
While the sight and smell of sewage bubbling up from manholes may be troubling, it’s actually by design.
Pedrito Francois, who was instrumental in concocting the sewer systems throughout the territory in 1972, told the Source in 2004 that he wanted failures to be evident. Repairs wouldn’t be made unless everyone knew the system had failed, he said.
Nearly 55 years after Francois designed the sewage systems, its working parts are collapsing, VIWMA officials said.
“Our sewer collection system has exceeded its intended service life in many locations, resulting in sudden line failures, collapses, and blockages that require immediate attention,” the officials said. “Crews continue to be deployed daily, prioritizing repairs that pose the greatest risk to public health, safety, and the environment. With multiple issues occurring simultaneously, resources are being strategically allocated to ensure that the most critical situations are addressed first.”
Long-term plans for fixing the problem were already in motion, according to the statement.
“Contracts are in place for a comprehensive, territory-wide replacement of aging sewer infrastructure. This major investment will begin in the coming months and represents a permanent, forward-looking solution to the very problems we are confronting today,” the authority said.
VIWMA officials warned in April, however, that large-scale, territory-wide repairs could take many years and require federal assistance.
