Board members of the V.I. Waste Management Authority learned of the dire conditions controlling wastewater flow, the constant dumping of used tires throughout the territory, difficulty with contractors and enduring financial problems at Tuesday’s board meeting.
To begin the litany of problems, Keith Smith, territorial manager of Wastewater Operations, reported the system is only performing at 20 percent capacity. Only one pump is working at the Charlotte Amalie station on St. Thomas and it will take eight to 12 weeks to get new pumps. There is standing water behind the Windward Hotel, even when it hasn’t rained, and wastewater is running through the streets of Frenchtown.
The board members agreed that replacing 32 pumps is “a main priority.” Smith said funds are being moved around to try to make ends meet. There are “a lot of high priority, emergency projects,” he said, including Vessup and Cruz Bay on St. John.
“You can’t function with 61 percent of the pumps off-line,” Jean-Pierre Oriol, board member and commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, said.
One reason water lines may be clogged is the increased dumping of oil by restaurants, food trucks and others on St. Thomas. They should have the oil picked up and disposed of, several employees said.
Also being dumped in great numbers are used tires left at various places on the islands, according to Daryl Griffith, interim chief executive officer and chief financial officer. Griffith said they need access to the $2 million set aside from Act 8370, which put regulations in place to assist the territory in disposing of used tires.
“We easily could have over a million that were illegally dumped,” he said.
On another subject of illegal dumping, Griffith said people have been identified on cameras placed at dumps and several have been fined.
Griffith and staff said they are dealing with inflow and outflow problems on St. Croix, specifically at the entrance to Questa Verde and road repair at the intersection of Basin Triangle and Northside Road is delayed due to an issue with the contractor.
“The authority doesn’t follow its own procedural practices and that’s why we’re in the place we’re in,” Derek Gabriel, board president, said.
Griffith said trash collectors needed a raise and a disposal fee for trash should be considered by a team of board members. Gabriel agreed and added that procedures need to be put in writing for staff, board and contractors.
Board members at the meeting were Oriol, Gabriel, Conn Davis Jr. and Lindel Williams.
