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Newsletter of the V1. Planning Office and the VJ. Water Resources Research Center We Islands. Gay ya Depositary UG eo Caribbean Research Institute College of the Virgin Islands St.Thomas, US.Virgin Islands 00801 809/774-1252 Ext. 250 Vol. 2, No. 2 March-April 1979 The public administrators and pro- gram managers concerned with the water resources of the Territory of the US Virgin Islands have con- tinually confronted the twin prob- lems of limited quantity and poor quality of water on the small, semi-arid, tropical islands. His- tory shows that attempts to solve these problems using sophisticated technology have, for the most part, ended in failure. Territorial res- idents have always relied on the inconstant rainfall to replenish water stored in individual cisterns as well as the meager ground water supplies. Fresh water was known to be scarce, rainfall unpredict- able, and therefore was not to be wasted. The traditional methods of collection and storage of water generally fulfilled the needs of the style of life and the level of commerce in the Territory until the US Naval Administration invested in the development of a military base on St. Thomas. The initial public water systems in the Territory were installed by the US Navy in the 1930's. Water was collected from a combination of wells and surfaces including an elaborate system of paved hill- side catchments and, on St. Thomas, the airport runway. Water was stored in large cisterns, then ra- tioned throughout the limited dis- tribution systems. During extended periods of dry weather, water was barged by the Navy to the Virgin Islands from Puerto Rico. e water needs rose sharply during the 1960's. A burgeoning tourism- based economy along with the popula- tion explosion required a dependable, economical, constant, and larger sup- ply of water---particularly potable water. The Virgin Islands Government undertook an extensive development program to augment water supplies: a salt water distribution system was expanded to accommodate requirements for sanitary flushing and firefight- ing; several sea water distillation plants were purchased in order to provide a constant source of potable water; large tanks for storing water supplies were constructed; and, sew- age treatment plants were built to control the rapidly increasing prob- lem of water pollution. The catching and storage of rainwater, however, remained as the essential source of household potable water for the in- habitants of the islands. For a while there was an abundant sup- ply of high quality water, even during periods of dry weather. The Govern- ment's strategy, particularly the emphasis on desalination, appeared to solve the water problem, with the re- sult that maintenance on the public water catchments lessened and many public wells became unused. The catchments were eventually abandoned and very quickly fell into local dis- repair and ground water development for public supply was ignored. By the mid-1970's, severe water prob- lems developed. Operation of the public water systems suddenly became 10. 11. 12. Potable Water Supply, St. Thomas, V.I.; Tippetts-Abbett- McCarthy-Stratton, Nov. 1958 . Water Reclamation Study for the U.S. Virgin Islands; Lo pian Science, Inc., Nov. 196 . Creating a Water Distribution and Wastewater Disposal Author- ity in the U.S. Virgin Islands; Chongasing, E.A. and Francois, D.C., May 1972 . A Survey of the Water Resources of St. Thomas, V.1I,; Jordan and Cosner, USDI, Geological Survey, 1973. . Master Plan and Report, Potable Water System, East End (St, Thomas); McDowell and Assoc, and Adams and Assoc,, July 1973 . Water Records of the U,S.V.I, , Geological Sur- vey, 1973 . Audit of Potable Water Supply and Distribution (July I, 1971- October 31, 1973); U.S. Govern- ment Comptroller for the Virgin Islands, USDI, (Audit Report No. 4009-74-60) May 1975 . Potable Water System, Govern- ment of the Virgin Islands, 1975; Harry B. a March 1976 A Water Management Plan for St. Croix; Black, Crow, Eidsness, March, 1976. Status Report and Recommenda- tions for Desalination Plants, Virgin Islands; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, March, 1977 Proposed Bill: ''To Relieve the Potable Water Crisis by Improv- ing the Potable Water Production and Distribution System"; Of- fice of the Governor of the Vir- gin Islands, March, 1977 Report on the Water Crisis on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; USDI Task Force, December, 1977 13. 14. 15. the 16. V.I. Housing Authority Report on the Current Water Crisis; VI Housing Authority, March, 1978 Proposed Bill: "To create a Virgin Islands Water Resources Agency..."'; Senator Eric E. Dawson, June, 1978 Proposed Bill: "To Authorize and Direct a Study to Determine the Feasibility of Constructing Two Dams for Retention of Rain Water...''; Senator John A. Bell, February, 1978 Proposed Bill: "To Create a Virgin Islands Water Resources Agency..."'; Senator Ruby M. Rouss, February, 1979.