Oct. 20, 2001 – The St. Croix Chamber of Commerce invites the public to a business luncheon on Wednesday to hear a presentation on an innovative wastewater treatment system that proponents say could resolve the island's sewage problems and have additional positive effects.
Onaje Jackson of Carib Infra-Tech Inc. will present a proposal "To Turn 1 Million to 3 Million Gallons of Daily Polluting Wastewater into a Tourism Attraction" at the noon meeting, at Gertrude's Restaurant.
According to a chamber release, the proposed wastewater treatment system "would have positive impacts on the existing farming and business community. By making 2.5 million gallons a day of fresh water available, the project would finally give farmers the year-round water supplies they need to make high-yield agriculture a reality on St. Croix."
The reclaimed water also would be a boon for tourism-related water consumers, the release stated. It could, for example, ensure the Carambola Golf Club of "a reliable year-round supply of fresh water, allowing it to irrigate its course sufficiently and improve its tourism product value." The Infra-Tech proposal envisions the creation of "an interpretative trail and bird-watching facilities at the treatment wetland and a multi-purpose heritage and fruit trail," all of which would be a resource for school science classes, an amenity for residents and an attraction for tourists.
The St. Croix Chamber is encouraging Gov. Charles W. Turnbull and officials to "investigate the suitability of this innovative solution for St. Croix," Carmelo Rivera, chamber president, said in the release. "Not only does it resolve our sewage crisis; it seems to offer the most potential benefits for the dollars to be soon invested by the territory."
Caribbean Infra-Tech is a sustainable infrastructure and facility design firm based on St. Croix and operating in the wider Caribbean region. Jackson, its founder and president, has more than 20 years of experience in the renewable energy, resource conservation and auditing, and architectural engineering fields. He is a graduate of Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Before founding CIT in 1994, Jackson served as coordinator of the V.I. Renewable Energy Institute and technical adviser to the V.I. Energy Office with responsibility for shaping renewable-energy and energy-conservation programs and drafting an energy code for buildings in the territory. He also is a former director of the Planning and Natural Resources Department's Coastal Zone Management program..
As an intern in the early 1980s at the Solar Energy Research Institute, known now as the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Jackson designed a demonstration project using renewable-energy technologies in rural areas for the government of Jamaica. For seven years, he was a senior associate with several architectural engineering firms in New York City, working on large-scale energy conservation, auditing and applied research contracts.
He recently was re-elected to a second term on the board of directors of the American Solar Energy Society and is secretary of the board of the Caribbean Solar Energy Society.
For luncheon reservations and additional information, call Carmelo Rivera at 773-1435 or e-mail to chamber@vipowernet.net.
