The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) will launch the second phase of the Frederiksted Waterline Rehabilitation Project with an announcement ceremony on Friday, Jan. 10. It is open to the public and will take place at 10 a.m. at the Verne I. Richards Memorial Park in Frederiksted.
Through a grant award of approximately $4 million, the second phase of the project will see the replacement of approximately 13,000 feet of six-inch water lines and approximately 2,900 feet of ten-inch water lines in the town of Frederiksted. Leumas Engineering is slated to begin work on Feb. 10; completion is expected by Oct. 1.
The first phase of the project replaced waterlines on Strand Street, King Cross Street, Fisher Street and a portion of New Street, providing a more efficient means of distributing water to the residents and businesses on the west end of St. Croix. Federal funding will also be tapped for waterline rehabilitation and improvement projects in Hannah’s Rest, Campo Rico and Clifton Hill. These projects are scheduled for the middle of this year and in 2021.
The ongoing upgrades of the water distribution system in Frederiksted fills a need that has existed since the 1970s when it was determined that most of the existing lines were beyond their service life. As a result of the deteriorating lines, service interruptions caused by waterline breaks and poor water quality continued to adversely affect residents of Frederiksted. Once completed, the water mains will improve both water quality and water pressure throughout St. Croix’s west end.
