One government agency head has told another to fix the leaking sewage outflow pipe that is polluting the Hull Bay waters and beach by March 17 or face potential daily fines of $10,000 per day and possible prosecution until it does.
Dean Plaskett, commissioner-designate of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, told The V.I. Daily News he had issued a notice of violation to the Department of Public Works earlier this year in connection with the pipe. The action was taken, he said, in PNR's capacity as a regulatory and enforcement agent of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
In February, Plaskett said, the two departments agreed informally that in return for PNR waiving applicable penalty fines Public Works would expend the funds to repair the pipe and extend it 50 feet further out into the water. He said Public Works was to have a plan for the work in place by Feb. 25, the Daily News said.
The agreement also calls for Public Works to have water samples tested three times a week by a private firm for fecal matter and other bacteria, he said.
If these steps are not taken by March 17, Plaskett said, "we are required to issue another notice of violation."
In response to complaints from Hull Bay residents about the sewage leaking onto the beach and into the near-shore waters, Public Works commissioner-designate Harold Thompson Jr. said earlier this week that his department didn't have the money to fix and extend the cracked PVC pipe, which has been in need of repair for 10 years.
According to The Daily News, Thompson said Public Works would need about a month to identify funding sources and get a plan into place to repair the pipe.
Leaks from the pipe that carries treated sewage from the Brassvue treatment plant have been an issue since Hurricane Hugo, Hull Bay residents say. They believe reported cases of various infections are linked to water pollution caused by the presence of sewage in the water. Resident Sherri Merritt said she believes it would be risky for anyone with an open cut to enter the water.
Sewage is the source of fecal coliform bacteria. The presence of the bacteria in waters can be the cause of pinkeye, nausea, diarrhea, fever and ear infections.
Thompson told The Daily News that the Hull Bay water had been tested to determine the levels of fecal matter and other pollutants but said he did not know the results.
Public Works personnel posted a sign on the beach on Tuesday that reads "Notice: Broken sewer outfall pipe. No swimming."