Breaking

Below, find the latest power and potable water restoration update from the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. Above, a branch holds up utility lines on the road heading to the Carambola Resort from the golf course. (Ernice Gilbert, VIC)

ELECTRIC SYSTEM

At the end of the work day Tuesday, WAPA reported significant progress on its restoration effort in both districts. With the primary circuits on most feeders significantly reconstructed, the restoration of service to commercial and residential customers is progressing.
On St. Croix Tuesday, crews restored service up to Cotton Valley on Feeder 2A, while primary circuits were developed to Point Udall, and reconstruction of those circuits will continue toward the Divi Carina Bay Resort & Casino. On Feeder 3A, additional customers were restored to include the Beeston Hill Condos. On Feeder 4A, crews are approaching 90% completion of work in Sion Hill, and in Rattan all poles have been planted with crews expected to string lines through that community by Friday. Service was restored from the Feeder 4A/5A tie switch to Rogers Laundry and down to Sion Hill. In Barren Spot, restoration is approximately 70% complete, while work has been completed toward the La Reine intersection. On Feeder 8B, Estate White Bay will be fully energized on Wednesday, while crews are preparing to plant poles in Estate White Lady. Crews have estimated that work in Frederiksted town is approximately 98% complete. Additional customers were energized on Feeder 10A and on Feeder 6A, customers have been energized from La Grande Princesse to Five Corners. Service was also restored on Feeder 9B in Estates Diamond, Mount Pleasant West and Constitution Hill. Streetlights along portions of Melvin Evans Highway have been restored.
On St. John, where just over 1,200 customers have been restored, crews continued work in Glucksberg and a portion of Estate Adrian. Most of the houses in George Simmonds Terrace have been reenergized, and the primary circuit from Chocolate Hole to Pond Bay is completed. Crews continue to plant poles in Fish Bay while work continues toward restoring service to Coral Bay.
On St. Thomas, service was restored from the bottom of Donkey Hill to the Sea View Nursing Home and included customers in the area. Crews are continuing to repair power lines toward Hawk Hill. Customers on Scott Free Road, from Solberg to Four Corners, and in the area of the Old Mill in Contant were restored. Service was also restored to some additional customers in Santa Maria, Crown Mountain, Estate Pearl and Sorgenfri. A primary circuit was energized from Drake’s Seat to Hull Bay Road with some customers being restored. Other crews restored service to Subbase area businesses and the V.I. Supreme Court. Crews will continue to work in Subbase over the next two to three weeks to restore service to Crown Bay Center, Crown Bay Marina, Tropical Shipping, Crowley, MSI and The Sea Chest. Further to the east, a primary circuit that extends from the Cancryn Junior High School to Villa Olga was energized which paves the way for service restoration via a submarine cable to Hassel Island. Some customers in Frenchtown were restored on Tuesday as well as the Palms Court Harborview Hotel. While crews continue to reconstruct primary circuits on Feeder 8B and the Ridge Road Feeder, the work on those circuits on all other St. Thomas feeders is complete.
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 and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control.
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 seven days (74%) of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days (59%) on St. Thomas, and four days (54%) 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 offices will be closed on Thursday, November 23, 2017, in observance of Thanksgiving Day. Regular hours will resume on Friday.
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.