Environmental Group Launches Air Quality Monitoring Network in St. Croix Communities, Seeks Residential Partners

The Terra Ay Ay Environmental Action Group, a project of The St. Croix Foundation for Community Development, has announced the installation of the first of what is hoped will be many air quality monitors across several St. Croix communities.

The need for such a project was underscored by the adverse events following the 2021 incidents at the Limetree Refinery, which significantly impacted the well-being of residents, according to the group. A Community Impact Survey conducted in the aftermath revealed alarming details, including “hundreds of residents” in West End neighborhoods describing “noxious odors that left them gasping for breath or stricken with debilitating headaches on a daily basis in April and May.” Residents of one community in particular – Kingshill – recounted “low-lying chemical clouds that crept through windows and doors to infiltrate their homes," according to the survey report.

Based on the data collected from the survey, along with findings from a 2014 report by the Eastern Caribbean Center of The University of the Virgin Islands, the Terra Ay Ay project has carefully selected neighborhoods for the installation of air monitors, with the first currently operating in the town of Frederiksted. Residents in these areas, which have been historically affected by industrial operations, will be able to access real-time data on air quality through the project’s website.