ST. CROIX — A broken, 20-inch force main line that required the LBJ Pump Station to be taken offline two days ago and subsequently caused sewage to overflow into the harbor from manholes in downtown Christiansted is being repaired by a Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority contractor who expects to complete the job this evening.
“Once you have a leak in the force main, you have to shut down the pump,” Ron Phillips, WMA senior engineer project manager, said. “So once a pump is shut down, you’re not transferring any water from the LBJ Pump Station.”
When the 30-foot section of old, ductile iron pipe gets replaced with PVC and the pump station comes back online, wastewater will once again get transferred to the Figtree Pump Station near the oil refinery to be pumped to the treatment plant before it goes out to sea, Phillips said.
“Right now, we’re in the process of actually doing emergency repair at the force main at the LBJ Pump Station,” Phillips said. “When that happens, then we can’t transfer the wastewater. And so, what you’re seeing right now, the lowest part in Christiansted, which is located at the Angry Nate’s intersection, that’s where the wastewater is going to be coming out through the manhole. As soon as that force main is fixed, then the station will be brought back online.”
The wastewater from the LBJ Pump Station cannot be transferred when the station is offline, and the station cannot hold anymore wastewater due to a full wet well, Phillips said. He said, however, the wastewater must find an exit. He said that exit is at the manhole near the intersection of Watergut and King Cross streets by the entrance to the boardwalk and the government parking lot.
“If it doesn’t get out in that location, then eventually it can back up into individuals’ homes or businesses,” he said. “So, under the bad circumstances, it’s best for the water to actually leave the system through that manhole than to actually back up in residential homes or businesses in Christiansted.”
Wastewater also exited today from a manhole and flowed into the sea at the entrance to the Svend Aage Ovesen Jr. Seaplane Terminal, which is located on Watergut Street one block away from King Cross Street. A manhole in the parking lot next to Nate’s Boathouse that is used by downtown businesses was also leaking today as sewage collected in a nearby puddle. All three overflowing manholes are tied to the island’s antiquated sewer system.
The force main line broke because it is over 50 years old, Phillips said.
“Most of it is beyond its service life,” he said of the sewer system. “Most of the pipes have a life anywhere from 40 to 50 years.”
Breaks in the aging sewer lines will no longer occur when the Waste Management Authority replaces all of them as part of a prudent replacement project funded by the federal government, according to Phillips.
As part of the territory’s disaster recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, the VI government will receive $989 million toward the prudent replacement of a vast majority of wastewater sewer lines and 14 pump stations on St. Croix, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced in July.
While the sewage overflowing in downtown Christiansted this week was due to an offline pump station caused by a broken sewer line, a similar scenario occurred about five weeks ago when a malfunctioning pump at the LBJ Pump Station resulted in the flow of raw sewage from the same three low-lying Christiansted manholes.
In order to prevent raw sewage from overflowing into the street and harbor, Phillips said Authority’s contractor, SD&C Incorporated, is working expeditiously to repair the broken sewer line so the LBJ Pump Station could be brought back online.
“We want the public to know that the Authority is doing everything it can to get the repair fixed as quick as possible, and we know that it’s not good for the environment and public health to have wastewater or sewage just flowing like that,” he said.
Jose Cepeda, SD&C foreman, said from the worksite today that repairs to the broken sewer line that began Wednesday were expected to be completed by this evening.
The Virgin Islands Department of Health, when contacted by WTJX for comment, advised the public to avoid driving, walking, or playing on or near sewage-contaminated roads or flooded areas. The DOH further advised that individuals should wash their hands and flush their eyes thoroughly after any potential exposure to sewage or contaminated water, as well as to keep pets away from these areas to reduce risk of illness.
Exposure to raw sewage can lead to several harmful diseases, including gastrointestinal infections, skin rashes, and respiratory problems, according to the DOH. Contaminated water may also carry bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can spread illness through direct contact or ingestion. The DOH will continue to monitor the situation to ensure public safety.
Jamal Nielsen, Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources spokesperson, said the regulatory agency understands that things like broken sewer lines do occur. He said such situations will have to be addressed as they happen until the prudent replacement project gets completed.
“We are aware of it, and we are glad that Waste Management is in the process of correcting the situation,” he said.
