April 20, 2004 – The Public Works Department's new "sewer hotline" for the public to report sewage problems 24 hours a day seems to be plagued by breakdowns as much as the decrepit wastewater collection system it is intended to monitor.
Given the ongoing failures of the sewage system on St. Croix, the hotline was promoted as a means for the public on the island to report emergencies at night and on weekends and holidays.
Public Works announced the establishment of the hotline on April 6. However, calls made to the number that night were forwarded to a fax machine. (See "Public Works sewage hotline not working yet".)
On Tuesday, Government House issued a release citing Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood as saying that the hotline has been experiencing "technical problems" for the last 10 days, "especially after hours and on weekends."
Because the problems — of the phone line, not the sewage system — have yet to be resolved, Callwood asked "that residents place their complaints during regular working hours until further notice."
The release gave the emergency number as 773-6643 — the same number promoted on April 6 — and said it is answered by staff members on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
According to Tuesday's release, the hotline, after days of difficulties, "was recently transferred to a more automated system for after-hours and weekend coverage. Unfortunately, that system then experienced major technical problems."
Currently, the release said, "the vendor is awaiting the arrival of the repair parts on island to repair the system" – the sewer hotline system, not the sewage system.
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