The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority reported Monday night that it was making progress towards normalizing potable water service to customers on the west end of St. Croix.
A week ago, water service was interrupted to the west side of St. Croix, and though it was restored by Wednesday, WAPA water customers have been plagued with low to no pressure ever since.
On Monday morning, new pumps were activated at the Richmond and Concordia pump stations, increasing the volume of water being pumped into the five-million gallon storage tank at Kingshill. The tank has gained at minimum six to seven feet of stored water, tantamount to the restoration of normal service from mid island to west end, including Frederiksted town.
“There are three new pumps installed at the Contentment pump station, however, WAPA is awaiting a technician from the manufacturer on Wednesday to fully activate the pumps. Our crews continue to closely monitor both the distribution system and the flow into the storage tank. We have gained outflow from the additional pumps and we expect a positive effect on the storage capacity of the Kingshill tank,” Executive Director/CEO Lawrence J. Kupfer said in a news release issued Monday evening.
As of 7:30 p.m. Monday, customers in lower elevations saw improved water service. Those at higher elevations saw a restoration of low pressure water service, WAPA said.
Kupfer said WAPA remains confident that with the additional water flow into the Kingshill tank, the means by which potable water is provided to the island’s west end, “the challenges of the last week will be behind us and we will continue to build storage capacity at Kingshill. Since the 2017 hurricanes, we have been filling the tank to the 20-foot mark, our plan going forward is to fill the tank closer to its capacity.”
On Monday evening, the Kingshill tank storage stood at six feet, with no major leaks reported in the distribution system.
WAPA urged any customer who continues to experience complete water service interruption to contact the Water Distribution Division at 340-773-2250, Option 4 or send email to communications@viwapa.vi.
