March 1, 2007 — The V.I. Water and Power Authority is advising St. Croix water customers of a water conservation schedule from Friday, March 2 through Friday, March 16, due to a water-shortage emergency.
Customers will experience water service interruption daily from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
According to WAPA officials, since the 10-million-gallon storage tank in the Richmond power plant was taken out of service in early February for inspection, the authority has struggled to recover its storage levels throughout the distribution system.
"At present, storage levels are down 73 percent of the maximum capacity of 22 million gallons,” St. Croix Water Superintendent Rupert Pelle said.
According to a WAPA release, it's important that the authority recover storage levels now to ensure an ample water supply when the Mon Bijou storage tank is taken out of service in mid-March for a three-month overhaul.
Consumers are urged to conserve water and switch to cisterns or wells, if available. Pelle recommends that customers be water-wise by doing the following:
–keep showers short with pressure at low force;
–turn off faucets while brushing teeth or shaving;
–when washing dishes, fill wash and rinse basins with water to avoid continuously running water;
–recycle rinse water to water plants;
–immediately repair leaks and drips;
–avoid extra cycles in the dishwasher; and
–match the water level to the load size in washing machines and only do full loads.
Pelle said that WAPA will conserve water by cutting off its pumping capacity during the above-mentioned hours and by closing strategic control valves in the distribution system. Consumers at higher elevations may be the first to notice the effects of the water outage.
WAPA apologizes for any inconvenience that may occur to our St Croix customers during this emergency water conservation period.
