Large, Heavily Populated Areas On St. Croix To Be Reenergized Soon; Latest Territory-Wide Update Released

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority has issued its latest restoration update. Find it below.

ELECTRIC SYSTEM

• WAPA’s restoration continues to progress throughout the territory with most of the primary circuits on St. Thomas completed and on St. Croix, large, heavily populated areas are expected to be energized shortly. On St. John, composite poles are being planted in Coral Bay while the primary circuits are being reconstructed in preparation for service restoration to customers on Feeder 9E.
• On St. John Friday, crews restored additional customers in Cruz Bay, Bethany, Fish Bay and Estate Adrian while other crews planted poles in George Simmonds Terrace and from Chocolate Hole to Pond Bay. Work continued on the main lines from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay.
• On St. Thomas, additional customers were restored in Savan, and from the Four Corners intersection toward Solberg. Crews worked in Coki Point, New Tutu, Plantation Manor, Frenchtown, Maude Proudfoot Drive near the entrance to Blackbeard’s Castle, Hawk Hill and on the road toward the Sea View Nursing Home. The potable water pump station in Savan and the nearby Jane E. Tuitt School were returned to the electrical grid on Friday.
• On St. Croix, crews energized primary circuits on West Airport Road to Centerline Road, and from Mountain Gas Station toward Central High School. Additional customers on Feeder 8B in Barren Spot and Mary’s Fancy were restored on Friday. About 50% of Queen’s Quarter on Feeder 5A has been reenergized. On Feeder 3A, additional customers were restored in Catherine’s Rest, Work & Rest, the Frederiksted Credit Union and a viNGN facility. Reconstruction work continued on Feeder 4A in Estate Rattan with electrical service to customers expected next week.
• Continued work on St. Thomas over the weekend will require partial and full road closures as broken poles are removed and new poles are planted. On Sunday, one lane of the Crown Bay access road leading past Tropical Shipping and Crowley Maritime Corporation, MSI Building Supplies and The Sea Chest will be closed to vehicular traffic.  Also on Sunday, a portion of the Subbase road from the Pueblo parking lot toward the Doctor’s Choice Pharmacy intersection will be closed to vehicular traffic. On both Saturday and Sunday, two lanes of Maude Proudfoot Drive, from the Blackbeard’s Castle entrance to Jarvis School, will be closed as crews reconstruct a portion of Feeder 8A. Crews will also work this weekend on the Scott Free Road toward the lower portion of Solberg. Motorists are advised to follow the directions of flaggers and police officers who will be directing traffic flow through the work areas.
• Through an agreement reached with the Department of Planning & Natural Resources, WAPA will restore electrical service to homes with temporary roofs (blue roofs) once a licensed electrician has certified, in writing, that the structure is safe to energize.
• Customers and electricians are reminded that it is against the law to remove or otherwise destroy meter seals. If work needs to be done to repair a damaged meter base and/or weather head, customers must call the Emergency Call Center at 340-774-1424 on St. Thomas-St. John or 340-773-0150 on St. Croix. The call centers operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
• If your electric meter was removed by WAPA personnel to facilitate repairs to either a meter base and/or weather head, once repairs are completed and a licensed electrician certifies the work in writing, customers are required to contact the Customer Service office to ensure that the meter will be reinstalled and resealed prior to the restoration of electrical service. All fees usually associated with meter removal and reconnection have been waived. Customer service offices are operating Monday-Friday, 9 am – 4 pm at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas.
• Reconstruction, restoration and hurricane debris removal crews are deployed across the islands. Motorists are asked to exercise caution when driving through the work areas and to heed the directions of flaggers, military personnel and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control. Over the weekend, crews will work along Crown Mountain Road, in Old Tutu and in Smith Bay.
• WAPA urges residents to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews. 

POTABLE WATER SYSTEM

• There are six days (75%) of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days (59%) on St. Thomas, and four days (51%) on St. Croix.
• WAPA urges clean-up contractors and homeowners in both districts to exercise caution when piling debris on and around potable water meters. There are a growing number of instances where water meters are being damaged by clean-up equipment grading debris and causing damage to the roadside water meters. The continued damage by heavy equipment poses difficulty in maintaining or restoring potable water service to customers.

OTHER INFORMATION

• WAPA telephone contact: St. Thomas – St. John district, 340-774-3552; St. Croix district, 340-773-2250
• Customer Service Offices are operating Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and at Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas.
• The latest information on the restoration effort is available on the WAPA website, www.viwapa.vi and on Facebook: Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority.