Sept. 1, 2001 – Because a treatment plant problem led to the discharge of solid sewage into the sea near Cyril E. King Airport, the V.I. Carnival Committee canceled the Labor Day beach jam and fun day scheduled for Monday at John Brewers Bay.
According to Dean Plaskett, commissioner of Planning and Natural Resources, a malfunction of the Public Works Department's Charlotte Amalie treatment plant resulted in the sewage being discharged into the water from the main outfall near the airport.
A release from the Carnival Committee late Saturday afternoon said there was sewage on the beach and in the water at Brewers Bay, which lies just west of the airport.
Plaskett, in an advisory issued Friday night, warned the public not to swim or fish in water to the south and west of the airport until DPNR has sampled and analyzed it and determined that the water does not pose a health threat.
For further information, call the DPNR Environmental Protection Division at 774-3320.