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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesInterior Department Awards VIWMA Maintenance Program Grant

Interior Department Awards VIWMA Maintenance Program Grant

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs awarded a $235,000 Maintenance Assistance Program (MAP) Grant to the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority to develop a computerized maintenance management system for its wastewater operations. The system will be a modular asset management tool to allow VIWMA to automate and track all wastewater maintenance operations.
"We are excited to receive this grant that will assist us in improving the infrastructure so that we can provide our services more efficiently and cost-effectively," said May Adams Cornwall, executive director of VIWMA. "With this management system, we expect to be able to reduce our maintenance expenditures, which would allow for proactive and responsive planning to perform necessary repairs to the infrastructure and equipment," added Cornwall.
VIWMA collects, transports and treats 1.7 million gallons of wastewater each year along 210 miles of gravity sewers using 31 pumping stations and force mains. In addition to the sewer lines, VIWMA has to manage and repair 4,000 manholes, eight wastewater treatment plants, and 30 wastewater light duty and heavy equipment trucks and vehicles. The infrastructure is complex and underscores the importance of a maintenance management system. The maintenance management system will also assist VIWMA to respond to all planned and unplanned work orders and track and inventory parts.
"The purpose of MAP is to promote proper maintenance practices. This grant will assist VIWMA with conducting scheduled preventative maintenance activities to guarantee continuous wastewater flow throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands," said Anthony Babauta, assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior.
For more information, contact the Office of Communications Management at 690-4218.

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