UPDATE: V.I. Government to Seek National Emergency Declaration Over Lead in STX Water

The V.I. government plans to ask President Joe Biden to declare elevated levels of lead found in St. Croix’s potable water system a national emergency, a task force formed to address the situation announced early Friday morning.

“The V.I. Government is working with our federal partners to provide the necessary data and documentation to make a case for a federal declaration of a national emergency by the president,” the USVI Joint Information Center said in a release issued at 6:20 a.m. Friday.

“A federal declaration will potentially make it possible to receive resources for expanded testing, technical assistance, and relief to residents, particularly with urgency for vulnerable community members,” it said.

Water in parts of St. Croix remains dangerously contaminated with lead and copper, a second round of testing revealed Thursday, Government House announced. As a result, all St. Croix residents were cautioned not to drink water from Water and Power Authority pipes.

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s team did not specify how much lead and copper was in the pipes but said it was now safe to bathe, flush, and do laundry in the water “without danger of adverse effects.”

Government House said samples from the St. Croix Educational Complex, the John H. Woodson Junior High School, the Alfredo Andrews Elementary School, and the Mount Pleasant Housing Community showed levels of lead and copper that were either non-detectable or were below the 15 parts per billion mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency.