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Newsletter of the V1. Planning Office and the V.l. Water Resources Research Center » WAA TA Depositary 4 v —d —9 Caribbean Research Institute College of the Virgin Islands, St.Thomas, US.Virgia Islands 0080! 809/774-1252 Ext. 250 Vol. 2 No. 4 July-August 1979 WATERPLAN COMPLETED Waterplan: A Comprehensive Water Management Framework for the U.S. Virgin Islands has been completed by the staff at the Water Resources Research Center. The report presents a compre- hensive view of water problems currently facing the territory and recommends short and long term solutions. It is intended to be read by the interested citizen and is neither lengthy nor highly technical in. content. Current and future supplies and costs are discussed in the con- text of island water demands; strong emphasis is placed on opportunities to maximize self- sufficiency and reliability in water supply through careful use of water and a sensible mix of natural and manufactured sources of water. Water law, administrative procedures for the management of water and agency responsibilities are discussed. Several options for both short and long-term im- provement of the water situation are presented, Among the conclusions of the report are: Water is and always will be a scarce commodity in the Virgin Islands. Our climate is semi- _arid, we haye Reo lowing streams and ground water resources are very limited. This does not mean however, that conservation, wise management and full use of our local, natural and renewable water resources, espe- cially rainfall, are not the best water resource development strategies. -A fundamental change in policy is needed .to turn from dependence on manufactured (desalted) and imported (barged) water as basic public sup- ply, to dependence on the local resources, especially rainfall sand ground water, as the basic supply. We can no longer afford to ignore our resources. -Water management responsibilities in the U.S. Virgin Islands are scattered among several agencies with the result that attempts to institute policies, implement programs or deter- mine accountability most often fail. A single agency with adequate financ- ing, appropriate staffing and broad powers for water planning and research and resources management and control should be created to carry out the mandates of the Water Resources Con- servation Act of 1965. -The present pricing structure regard- ing Government purchases of desalted water from the V.I. Water and Power Authority and sale of water to the consumers is in no way related to the true costs of producing and distri- buting water. The entire water sup- ply and wastewater management system is heavily dependent on direct ands Covereng ANALGESTER UNIT AT RED HOOK Even though the research project, The Water Economy of a Toilet in a Water Deficient Region, des- cribed in the last issue of Waa ta‘ has been completed, the Water Center is still continuing investigations at the Red Hook restroom facility. In addition to continuation of the monitoring program, an analgester unit will be installed. This tank filled with redwood chips will intercept the effluent from the low-flush toilets before discharge for treatment to improve its quality. Analgesters have been used success- fully in other areas to inexpen- sively treat sewage, It will be interesting to observe the per- formance of such a unit in the Virgin Islands. The public is urged to visit the restroom facility to determine if such an installation is applica- ble to their needs, The staff at the Water Center is available to answer inquiries. Feel free to call us at 774-1252 Ext. 250 or 251. WAA TA' STATISTICS Beginning with this issue of WAA TA', we will regularly carry a summary of monthly water Sta- tistics. These statistics will be more complete with subsequent issues. You can help us by pro- viding any related information that you might have. We also welcome your suggestions. The statistics below are totals for July 1979, Rainfall in Inches St: Croix: A.H. Airport 8.11 East End 4,64 Annally 6.46 St. Thomas; Red Hook 373 East Wintberg 5.41 St. John: Cruz Bay 6.78 Catherineberg 4.25 WAPA Water Production in Gallons St. Thomas 35,780,070 St.. Croix 29,744,700 CISTERN WATER QUALITY STUDY UNDERWAY Even though in the Virgin Islands vir- tually all rural potable water supply and much urban supply is from cisterns supplied by rooftop catchments, the quality of cistern water here is not well known. Because of this wide- spread dependence on individual sup- plies, the intent of insuring safe drinking water to the public through drinking water standards is difficult to realize. In order to characterize the quality of cistern water and indicate recom- mended treatment, a projéct The Quality of Cistern Water in the U.S. Virgin Islands has been undertaken, The principal investigators are Dr. Roger Peebles of the WRRC and Dr. Frank Rinehart of the Science and Mathematics Division of CVI. In this project sam- ples of cistern water are being analysed for particulate matter, microorganisms and chemical quality. To insure mean- ingful results, samples were taken from cisterns of various ages, sizes and construction, and located in diverse areas on the islands. It is hoped that the fortheooming results will be used by local agencies with responsibility, to recommend water treatment procedures or to develop building codes that minimize contamination of cistern water.