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Newsletter of the V.. Planning Office and the V.l. Water Resources Research Center WAA TA~ Caribbean Research Institute College of the Virgin Islands St.Thomas, US.Virgia Islands 00801 809/774-1252 Ext. 250 Vol. "ast nt aan te ee ee ' No.1 Jan. - Feb 1978 PURPOSE OF THE NEWSLETTER The Water Resources Research Center and the Virgin Islands Planning Office are devoting much effort to develop ways to better manage and use the scarce fresh water supply in the Virgin Islands. We intend to use this newsletter to inform the community about our work and research and to encourage the com- munity to help us define our goals. We expect future issues of the news- letter will carry some items that will appear on a regular basis. One is a summary of monthly water sta- tistics. These will include rain- fall totals at selected points, water production by the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) water pumped from wells for public supply on St. Croix and water use figures, such as those for the Virgin Islands Housing Authority (VIHA). In addition to the regular items, we will have an occasional brief interview with a water policy maker. And, of course, we will be presenting some of our ideas on how the water resources could best be managed. We would like to distribute the news- letter to as many people as possible. If you are not receiving the news- letter but would like to, please let us know by writing the Water Center Ling 774-1252 ext. 250. THE WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH CENTER As this is our first issue of :the newsletter it seems a good idea to explain the Water Resources Research Center or WRRC --- The Water Re- ~— sources Research Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-379) provided for the estab- lishment of a Water Resources Re- search Center in every State. In 1971, this act was amended to include the Virgin Islands. The WRRC was established at tHe Caribbean Research Institute, College of the Virgin Islands in 1973 and in 1974 funding was provided to the WRRC by the Office of Water Resources Reséarch, U.S. Department of the Interior. The WRRC currently receives a $40,000 yearly allotment from the Office of Water Research and Technology (OWRT) . The purpose of the WRRC is, to quote the Act, to provide for "research, investigations, experiments and the training of scientists in the fields of water and resources which affect water." The WRRC now supports five research projects. While we feel these goals are im- portant and give us overall direc- tion, we wish to emphasize that we are here also to provide information and answer questions about water from members of the community. So - if you have any questions or comments about the WRRC or water please drop us a note or, better yet, give us a ring at 774-1252 extension 250. Ask for Roger Peebles or Al Pratt. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS PLANNING OFFICE The Virgin Islands Planning Office is authorized by Act No. 2774 (sec- tion 28e) of the Virgin Islands Code to undertake a comprehensive water resources planning program. The present water resource planning pro- gram is funded through a Title III grant by the U.S. Water Resources Council. The V.I. Planning Office received $46,000 from federal funds and matching funds from the local government for the Water Resources Program in the FY 1977. The Virgin Islands Planning Office initiated an inventory of water and related land resources by its par- ticipation in the U.S. Water Resour- ces Council 1975 National Water Assessment as required by Section 40lc of the Water Resource Planning Act of 1965 (P.L. 89-80). The De- partment of Natural Resources in Puerto Rico, as sponsor for the Caribbean Region, was responsible to the WRC for work performed both in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The completion of the assessment resulted in four technical reports. Technical Memorandum #1 consists of matrices of water use, and identi- fication of water issues and prob- lems areas. Technical Memorandum #2 is an expansion of the informa- tion in the first report. Technical Memorandum #3 is the specific prob- lem analysis of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This report also consists of recommendations of potential studies for water resource problems in the Virgin Islands. Technical Memorandum #4 consists of a discus- sion of the institutional needs and planning methodologies for water resources problems in the Virgin Islands. The planning Office has currently signed an agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey to establish a water use data system for the Virgin Islands. Participation in the National Water Assessment and the establishment of a water use data system are initial steps in the development of a com- prehensive water and land use man- agement plan. The Water Resources staff at the Planning Office consists of two positions. Henry Smith is the senior planner and Terri Vaughn is the planning assistant. The Water Resources Program is in- terested in community involvement. If there are any questions or com- ments, please call 774-1730.