Low Water Storage Levels In Kingshill Lead To West End Service Interruption, W.A.P.A. Says

ST. CROIX — Water supply problems continue for the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. Through a press release issued this afternoon, W.A.P.A. said potable water customers on the western end of this island awakened to water service interruption due to the critically low levels in the Kingshill Storage Tank.

The latest water service interruption comes on the heels of problems caused by leaking pipe near the Sunny Isle Shopping Center. Beginning Wednesday and stretching into Thursday, a series of water leaks in the Sunny Isle area interrupted the flow of water through that piping system which delivers water to the Kingshill Storage tank. At approximately 10:00 p.m. Thursday, repairs to the leaks in the water line near the Sunny Isle intersection were completed, allowing water to once again flow through the system toward the Kingshill Storage Tank.  However, because water was unable to be transferred to the tank during the two-day repair process, on Friday morning the storage tank was at a critically low level.

According to WAPA’s Interim Executive Director Julio Rhymer, Sr., the Water Distribution department rearranged the valve configuration to be able to temporarily bypass the Kingshill tank and send potable water from the Contentment Pump Station directly to the customers on the west side of the island.  However, it soon became obvious that the water flow was reaching some of the larger water customers on the eastern side of the Kingshill tank first, resulting in still not enough water getting to customers on the western end.

W.A.P.A. said it met with the large water customers in an attempt to get their assistance in ensuring all customers have an opportunity to receive potable water (whether low or normal) through the bypass system, until the Kingshill tank could be pressurized. With the agreement from those customers, it is anticipated that by approximately 5 p.m. Friday, potable water customers on the western end of St. Croix will receive water.

Customers at higher elevations may continue to experience low to no water pressure until storage starts to rebuild in the Kingshill tank, according to the semiautonomous entity.

W.A.P.A. said it’s making “every effort” to rectify the problems, and apologized for inconveniences caused by the situation.