Heavy Rainfall Causes Severe Wastewater Service Interruptions Across USVI

The LBJ Pump Station on St. Croix and a sewer line on St. Thomas have sustained significant damage. VIWMA crews are working around the clock to minimize the impact on residents.

The V.I. Waste Management Authority has said that it is actively addressing critical wastewater service disruptions following heavy rainfall that caused widespread damage to key infrastructure on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Both incidents, which occurred on Wednesday, November 20, have significantly impacted the territory’s above-ground and underground wastewater systems. Heavy rainfall continued to impact St. Thomas on Thursday.

On St. Croix, the LBJ Pump Station experienced a mechanical failure, leaving it offline and disrupting wastewater services in the area, according to the release. Crews are currently working to install an auxiliary pump to restore operations as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, on St. Thomas, a sewer line between Banco Popular Altona Branch and the Cancryn Pump Station collapsed, prompting immediate action from WMA. To manage overflowing manholes in affected areas, pump trucks are operating around the clock. The team is also in the process of installing a bypass or pump-around system to reduce the duration of service interruptions for residents.