Here’s WAPA’s Latest Restoration Update

With additional linemen, equipment and material arriving in the territory in recent days, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority is holding to its promise of restoring 90 percent of customers by Christmas. Below, find the latest update.

ELECTRIC SYSTEM

• Additional manpower and shipments of materials and supplies are on island to augment WAPA’s restoration efforts in both districts.

On St. Thomas Thursday, additional customers in Frenchtown and Hull Bay were energized while other crews continued reconstruction work in Altona & Welgunst, Peterborg, Subbase, Mafolie, Skyline Drive and at the entrance to Northstar Village on St. Peter Mountain Road.

On St. John, additional customers in Contant, Cruz Bay and Enighed, in the area of Fish Bay and on Roman Hill Road were restored while crews prepared to reenergize customers in Bordeaux Mountain, Ajax Peak and Upper Carolina.

 On St. Croix, some customers in Hermon Hill, Sion Farm, Tan Tan Terrace, William’s Delight, Barren Spot, Mount Pleasant West and Ludvig Harrigan Court were restored, as well as the St. George Botanical Garden.  Restoration work commenced in Judith’s Fancy and toward Mon Bijou. In Frederiksted, crews prepared 42 locations for replacement street lights to be installed. Crews will continue to work on replacement streetlights toward Hannah’s Rest, and from Mars Hill toward the east.

• On Friday, the Valdemar Hill Sr. Drive, “Skyline Drive” on St. Thomas, will again be closed to vehicular traffic from 8:30-11:30 a.m., and again from 1-4 p.m., as crews perform reconstruction work and debris removal. The road closure will be in effect from the intersection of Louisenhoj Castle to the Donoe Bypass. Area residents will be allowed to access their homes during the road closure. Alternate routes are available for motorists who must traverse the area. Additionally, traffic flow may be restricted to one-lane on Mafolie Hill at times Friday as work continues in the area. Other crews will work in Subbase, Scott Free, St. Peter Mountain Road, Estate Pearl, Benner Hill, Nadir and Mariendahl.
• On St. Croix Friday, crews will work in Sion Farm, Estate Glynn, William’s Delight, Frederiksted, Mount Pleasant West and Barren Spot.
• A restoration schedule was published for the next two weeks detailing areas where crews will be restoring service. WAPA remains committed to its previously stated goal of restoring 90% of all areas in the territory by December 25. The restoration schedule is available on WAPA’s website:www.viwapa.vi and on Facebook: Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority.

Customers are reminded that homes with temporary roofs (blue roofs) will be restored with electrical service once a licensed electrician has certified, in writing, that the structure is safe to energize.

• 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 notify the Customer Service office. All fees usually associated with meter removal and reconnection have been waived during this restoration period. Customer service offices operate 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.

Residents are reminded of the need 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 five days of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days on St. Thomas, and five days 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 operate 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.