Sept. 1, 2001 — The government has advised the public not to swim at beaches on St. Thomas west of Cyril E. King Airport because the wastewater treatment plant by the airport is malfunctioning and sewage is being discharged into nearby waters.
The announcement put a hold on the V.I. Carnival Committee's plans for a daylong jam and fun day on the beach at John Brewers Bay on Monday, which is Labor Day. Committee executive director Caswill Callender said Saturday morning, "We will be meeting shortly and making a decision yet this morning and will let the public know by noon."
In a press release late Friday, Dean Plaskett, Planning and Natural Resources commissioner, said solid sewage matter was being discharged from the plant’s outfall south of the airport. The release did not identify the cause of the malfunction.
Plaskett said people should not swim or fish in the waters at Brewers Bay and beaches on St. Thomas’ West End until his department has completed an analysis of water samples from the area and the problem has been corrected.
Plaskett said it was especially important for adults and children with "compromised immune systems" to avoid the affected areas. He said DPNR will continue to assess the impacted waters and keep the public informed of the water quality in the area.
The airport lagoon plant, also called the Charlotte Amalie Wastewater Treatment Plant, is operated by the Public Works Department. The release said to call DPNR’s Division of Environmental Protection at 774-3320 for more information. The office is not open over the Labor Day weekend.
The most recent available U.S. Environmental Protection Agency statistics for beach closings throughout the nation due to polluted waters, for 1999, show the Virgin Islands in third place, after California and Florida. The territory's figures were for St. Croix only, as no data were supplied for St. Thomas and St. John.